2021-22 NBA awards predictions: Experts view MVP race wide open, favor Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year
Our experts break down who they expect will take home some hardware this season
By
Brad Botkin
•
1 min read
The 2021-22 NBA regular season is at our doorstep. Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks will get their championship rings before hosting the Brooklyn Nets, followed by the Golden State Warriors taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the nightcap.
If you're late to the team preview party and need to cram before the opening tip, here's a look at all 30 teams' rosters, key offseason moves and biggest questions entering the campaign. If you missed our Top 100 player rankings entering the season, check that out.
Also check out our CBS Sports season predictions, including who will fall, or rise, into the play-in-tournament, conference champions and Finals winner. In the meantime, below are our staff's predictions for the end-of-season awards, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
| Award |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Luka Doncic | Damian Lillard | Kevin Durant | Kevin Durant | James Harden | Luka Doncic | Stephen Curry | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| Rookie of the Year | Cade Cunningham | Cade Cunningham | Jalen Green | Jalen Green | Cade Cunningham | Cade Cunningham | Cade Cunningham | Cade Cunningham |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Ben Simmons | Anthony Davis | Draymond Green | Rudy Gobert | Bam Adebayo | Anthony Davis | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Draymond Green |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Jordan Clarkson | Jordan Clarkson | Derrick Rose | Derrick Rose | Tyler Herro | Jordan Clarkson | Tyler Herro | Jordan Clarkson |
| Most Improved Player | Michael Porter Jr. | Jordan Poole | Michael Porter Jr. | Kevin Porter Jr. | Jordan Poole | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Jordan Poole | OG Anunoby |
| Expert | Coach of the Year | Executive of the Year |
|---|---|---|
Bill Reiter | Steve Nash | Daryl Morey |
Brad Botkin | Nate McMillan | Rob Pelinka |
Jasmyn Wimbish | Monty Williams | Pat Riley |
Michael Kaskey-Blomain | Nate McMillan | Marc Eversley |
Colin Ward-Henninger | Michael Malone | Sean Marks |
Jack Maloney | Ime Udoka | Marc Eversley |
James Herbert | Steve Kerr | Pat Riley |
Sam Quinn | Steve Nash | Brad Stevens |
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