San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is one step closer to what will likely be his first defensive player of the year award.
And Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards might get an award after all.
The NBA began revealing the finalists for this season’s top individual awards on Sunday night, and Wembanyama — to no surprise — is on that list for Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in blocked shots for a third consecutive season.
Wembanyama, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson are the three finalists for the top defender award.
Edwards is a finalist for Clutch Player of the Year — even though he fell short of the league’s 65-game minimum in most cases for award eligibility. Edwards wasn’t on the ballot for MVP, All-NBA and other honours, but was on the Clutch ballot because those nominees were selected by the league’s coaches.
The finalists for Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year were also announced early Sunday evening. The finalists for Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year will be revealed later Sunday night.
Ballots from a panel of writers and broadcasters who cover the league were sent in last week.
The full list of finalists:
Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Kia NBA Most Improved Player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks
Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year
Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver Nuggets
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year