Warriors head coach Steve Kerr congratulates Draymond Green and Stephen Curry during a time out of their game against the Indiana Pacers. (Photo : Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)
It's that time of the year again when members of the media are submitting their ballot for the winners of this season's NBA awards. Here are the popular choices for the six major awards dominated by the Golden State Warriors.
Most Valuable Player - Stephen Curry
The only question surrounding the MVP trophy this season is this: Will Curry become the first player in NBA history to be named MVP unanimously? The answer is no, according to Forbes.
The reigning MVP is clearly a better player this season compared to last year when he led the Warriors to their first NBA championship in four decades. However, players who had a historic season like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Shaquille O'Neal did not win the MVP unanimously.
Some members of the media may cast a vote or two to players below Curry like James, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
Rookie of the Year - Karl-Anthony Towns
The 20-year-old Towns will likely become the fifth rookie to be voted unanimously. He is clearly the best rookie from the 2015 class and arguably one of the best centers in the NBA already.
The Minnesota Timberwolves big man is averaging 18.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game in his first year in the league, per Basketball Reference. The rookie that might receive first-place votes is Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks.
Most Improved Player - C.J. McCollum
The third-year shooting guard out of Lehigh University improved his scoring average by 14.1 points. McCollum picked up the slack left by Wesley Matthews and thrived beside star point guard Damian Lillard.
The official website of the Portland Trail Blazers piled several reports from several media outlets predicting that McCollum will win the 2016 Most Improved Player award.
Defensive Player of the Year - Draymond Green
There are many deserving candidates like Leonard and Hassan Whiteside. The Spurs wingman is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year while Whiteside leads the NBA in blocks with 3.7 per game.
Leonard will likely win the award again this year, but there is a chance that Green will snag it as he is the best defender in the best team in the NBA. He is a vital cog in the Warriors defense that has only lost nine times this season.
Sixth Man of the Year - Andre Iguodala
The sixth man of the year is awarded to the best player coming off the bench. ESPN's Zach Lowe voted for Iguodala because he is the best player off the Warriors bench despite not being the best scorer.
He pointed out that the 2015 Finals MVP does everything for Golden State as he can bring the ball up, facilitate, score when needed and most importantly, defend the team's best wing player. However, he missed a chunk of games this season that will affect his chances of winning.
Coach of the Year - Steve Kerr
The Warriors head coach missed most of the season due to a back injury but he will be credited for all their wins this season. However, Lowe noted that Kerr was mostly present in the Golden State locker room during the home games he supposedly missed.
Nonetheless, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich may end up winning but he likely won't care much about it. If you are not satisfied with these predictions, watch the video below as an alternative.
