NBA Awards 2018 Predictions: James Harden, Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons Among Expected Winners

The NBA truly closes the book on the 2017-2018 season Monday night with its annual awards show. The big six awards were voted on by the media and will be revealed at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

Here are the three finalists for all the awards, including predictions for the winners, as well as the second and third-place finishers:

MVP: James Harden

Harden was the best player on the NBA’s best team. He was third in assists (8.8 apg) and led the league in scoring (30.4 ppg), needing just over 20 field-goal attempts per game to do so for the Houston Rockets.

Second Place: LeBron James

Third Place: Anthony Davis

Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey

Casey led the Toronto Raptors to their best season in franchise history. The team led the East with a 59-23 record without a bonafide top-10 NBA player, and only the Rockets won more games last season.

Second Place: Quin Snyder

Third Place: Brad Stevens

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons

Simmons was third among rookies in scoring (15.8 ppg), first in rebounds (8.1 rpg) and first in assists (8.2 apg). He helped the Philadelphia 76ers win 24 more games than the previous year, earning them the No.3 seed in the East.

Second Place: Donovan Mitchell

Third Place: Jayson Tatum

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

Gobert only played 56 games, but his impact was so great that he should finish with the most first-place votes. The Utah Jazz had the West’s No.1 defense behind Gobert’s 2.3 blocks per game, and the team allowed just 100.4 points per 100 possessions when the league’s No.1 rim protector was on the floor.

Second Place: Joel Embiid

Third Place: Anthony Davis

Sixth Man Award: Lou Williams

Williams tied for 13th in the league with 22.6 points per game on fewer than 17 shots per contest. He added 5.3 assists per game, helping the Los Angeles Clippers finish above .500 even though they traded Chris Paul in the offseason and sent Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in January.

Second Place: Fred VanVleet

Third Place: Eric Gordon

Most Improved Player: Victor Oladipo

Oladipo (23.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg) arguably had a better season than Paul George, for whom he was traded last summer. The shooting guard helped the Indiana Pacers win six more games than the previous season. He led the league in steals, making All-NBA First Team and All-Defense First-Team.

Second Place: Spencer Dinwiddie

Third Place: Clint Capela