Similar to the NBA’s GM survey, we surveyed all of our NBA writers here at SidelineCue to see their opinions on the upcoming NBA season. The regular season will be starting in the next few days and we couldn’t be more excited. The substantial amount of headlines entering this season just makes it much more intriguing.
Anyways… let’s get to the survey.
Who’s your MVP prediction?
Luka Doncic (6 Votes)
Surprisingly, Luka was the only prediction writers had for the MVP award. Luka, going into his 3rd season, has already shown he is MVP caliber already. He will look to take the next step this upcoming season and take the Mavericks to the next level.
If the Mavericks can take the next step seed ranking-wise and Luka repeats his production from last season, there’s no doubt he will win MVP.
Who’s your DPOY prediction?
Anthony Davis (5 Votes)
Kawhi Leonard (1 Vote)
Anthony Davis is the easy answer here as he showed to be a defensive anchor for the Lakers on their championship run. The Lakers were the #4 ranked defense in points allowed and #3 ranked in defensive rating behind Anthony Davis as the anchor. Anthony Davis will definitely be the favorite and for good reason to get his first DPOY award. Kawhi Leonard gets a vote as a 2x DPOY award winner of the past. There’s doubt Kawhi will win it unless Leonard just has a dominant defensive season.
Who’s your MIP prediction?
Christian Wood (1 Vote)
Coby White (1 Vote)
Devin Booker (1 Vote)
Kyle Kuzma (1 Vote)
Lonzo Ball (1 Vote)
Jamal Murray (1 Vote)
With the MIP award, it’s kind of unpredictable. Unlike the MVP & DPOY award, you really don’t know who’s going to come out of nowhere and just have a breakout season. The lack of consistency shows in the selections for MIP for the season with 6 different players. A lot of great candidates as a lot of these players are ready to take the next step.
For example, Lonzo Ball will be looking to take the next step with the Pelicans and prove he was worth that #2 selection a few years ago. Jamal Murray will be looking to prove that he is a superstar PG in the making like he showed in the playoffs.
Who’s your 6MOY Prediction?
Derrick Rose (2 Votes)
Spencer Dinwiddie (2 Votes)
Lou Williams (1 Vote)
Montrezl Harrell (1 Vote)
Derrick Rose & Spencer Dinwiddie look to be the favorites for the 6th Man Of the Year award this upcoming season. Derrick Rose will be given the opportunity again to show that he can be a valuable asset off the bench for the Pistons. He probably won’t get the recognition like some other players that received votes due to the Pistons success, but he should still be a top candidate.
Spencer Dinwiddie might actually have a serious chance of winning it. He will be the main scorer off the bench for the Nets, who are expected to contend for a championship.
Which team will win the NBA championship?
Los Angeles Lakers (4 Votes)
Los Angeles Clippers (1 Vote)
Denver Nuggets (1 Vote)
The Lakers seem to be the favorites to win to repeat as championships again. They have two of the top players in the league and they showed their resilience and greatness this past season. As long as the Lakers have Anthony Davis and LeBron James healthy, I expect them to be the top contender in the Western Conference.
The Clippers and Nuggets got a vote each as well and their success will be dependent on how well they can recoup after playoff losses the past year. The Nuggets made it far by getting to the Conference Finals and the Clippers disappointed by losing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets. Definitely going to be interesting to see how well they play and come back.
