The 2022-23 NBA regular season has concluded and all award winners have been nominated. Every year, seven major awards are given out including the Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Fans at Amador have different opinions on who should have won the various awards, or if they were well deserved. 

Analysts, like Kendrick Perkins, have the strongest opinions about the MVP winner this year, Joel Embiid. They feel that Nikola Jokić was robbed of his third consecutive MVP title. Before Embiid was nominated,  the topic was close and controversial between experts.

“I honestly thought Jokić was going to win it again. I know Embiid was doing good, but Nikola almost averages a triple double each game,” said Golden State Warriors fan Isaac Hilton (‘24).

The New York Knicks were not expected to make it to the playoffs this year, but with the help of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and Immanuel Quickley off the bench, the Knicks made the playoffs as the fifth seed. Even with Quickly’s numbers Malcolm Brogden, another bench player in the league on the Boston Celtics, won the award.

“I was mostly surprised by Malcom Brogdon winning the Sixth Man award. I thought Immanuel Quickley would win it,” said Boston Celtics fan Jackson Morgenstern (‘23).

Utah Jazz small forward Lauri Markkanen led his team to a solid season, averaging 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Markkanen has to serve for his country in Finland this offseason coming off his award-winning year.

“I’m happy that Lauri Markkanen won Most Improved Player. He deserved it and I am a fan of him and his game,” said Michael Stephens (‘24).

Fans are also debating about the awards due to how the winners have performed in the playoffs. Certain regular season award winners have not been able to live up to their title during the postseason, according to some Amador students.

“I don’t even know how Fox won clutch player of the year. He wasn’t very clutch against the Warriors in the playoffs,” said Hilton.