MADRID, 15 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Franco-Cameroonian Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), the Serbian Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) and the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) are the finalists for Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Regular Season of the NBA 2022-23, has announced this morning the North American league.
Antetokounmpo and Jokic shared the MVP awards of the last four seasons, and Embiid, second in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 voting -won by Jokic-, joins the shortlist, which confirms that the winner will once again be a foreign player.
In addition, Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz) will compete for the title of ‘Rookie’ of the Year, with Banchero starting as favorite after becoming the top scorer among rookies (20 0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists on average).
For their part, Mike Brown (Sacramento Kings), Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics) and Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder) are the finalists for Best Coach of the Year, and Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks) and Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks), for Best Sixth Man of the Year.
Among Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks) and Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) will be the Best Defensive Player of the Year, and among Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and Shai Gilgeous -Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), the Most Improved Player, while the ‘Clutch’ Player of the Year award -player who has most excelled in extreme close game situations- will go to De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings) , Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) or DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls).