Revisiting 2024-25 NBA Awards, Finals Predictions

Throughout an episode of “The Huddle” for Odds Shark on Oct. 22, 2024, former Milwaukee Bucks large man John Henson and I ran down our predictions for the 2024-25 NBA season regarding awards winners and which groups would signify the Jap and Western Conferences within the Finals. 

On the unofficial midway level of the marketing campaign, let’s revisit these picks and see which of them had been spot on and which seem like falling properly wanting the mark. 

Opening 2024-25 NBA Awards Predictions 

NBA Most Valuable Player

Outlook: Whoops. Doncic is now mathematically eradicated from all end-of-season award issues as he’ll fail to fulfill the 65-game requirement for eligibility attributable to harm. Even when wholesome, he is been properly behind the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic in these conversations, so a win was unlikely to manifest anyway.

NBA Rookie of the Year

Outlook: Zach Edey has been hovering across the high of the leaderboard in betting odds for the Wilt Chamberlain trophy for the higher a part of the season, as he is maintained a sizeable position on a Memphis Grizzlies staff that is holding down the No. 3 seed within the West. His probabilities to win stay sturdy, as no different first-year participant has but to emerge from the pack.

Reed Sheppard, nevertheless, was a dangerous play from the beginning because the Houston Rockets had postseason aspirations, and garnering enjoying time forward of the three-man mixture of Fred VanVleet, Jalen Inexperienced, and Dillon Brooks was all the time going to show tough. 

NBA Coach Of The Year

Outlook: If the season had been to finish at this time, Memphis would end with extra wins than it achieved all of final season when the harm bug ran roughshod by way of its roster. That, in and of itself, ought to make Taylor Jenkins a primary contender for Coach of the Yr, though 4 different candidates have shorter odds with Kenny Atkinson far and away the favourite at minus cash.

The Phoenix Suns are barely holding on to the ultimate spot within the play-in match, so barring a miraculous run over the ultimate few months to safe home-court benefit within the opening spherical of the playoffs, Mike Budenholzer’s probabilities listed here are primarily zero. 

NBA Defensive Player Of The Year

Outlook: Victor Wembanyama was a no brainer decide and that can in all probability ring true for a few years to come back. The one probability anybody actually had is that if the 7-foot-4 large man needed to miss any size of time attributable to harm, and whereas that might nonetheless ring true (*knocks on wooden*), Defensive Participant of the Yr is his to lose. The second-best odds are 12-to-1 for Evan Mobley, so even oddsmakers are counting down the times till Wembanyama is topped. 

NBA Sixth Man Of The Year

Outlook: The Donte DiVincenzo decide regarded good in idea, however as is the case for the Minnesota Timberwolves as a unit, the preliminary returns from the transfer that despatched Karl-Anthony Cities to the Large Apple are extremely disappointing on a number of fronts. DiVincenzo had only in the near past been thrust into the beginning lineup to show his season round, and the change was trying fruitful up till he went down with a sprained toe.

Malik Monk has truly began 21 of his 34 appearances for the Sacramento Kings, which is an apparent disqualifying trait for him to be one of the best total bench participant. Once more, he was the runner-up for the award final 12 months, so the decide was sound earlier than Sacramento selected to make him a starter.

NBA Most Improved Player

Outlook: John’s logic on the time for not making a Most Improved Participant decide was that watching preseason basketball wasn’t sufficient grounds to make a correct, rational choice with out it feeling like a donation to sportsbooks, which is honest.

Nonetheless, my Jalen Johnson decide nonetheless has benefit to at the present time, because the Atlanta Hawks wing has the fifth-shortest odds as of writing. Numbers, the success of the staff, and roles have a large impression on why a sure participant ought to prevail right here, and Johnson all the time had the backing in Atlanta to maintain himself a favourite for the lengthy haul. 

NBA Jap Convention Champion

Chris Walder: New York Knicks (present file: 28-16)

John Henson: Boston Celtics (present file: 30-13)

NBA Western Convention Champion

Chris Walder: Minnesota Timberwolves (present file: 22-21)

John Henson: Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (present file: 35-7)

Outlook: As of Jan. 21, 2025, a Knicks-Timberwolves Finals matchup has a +10000 probability of occurring, whereas the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder have the shortest odds of getting out of their conferences at +105 and +115, respectively. 

Essentially the most logical reply typically seems to be the proper one, and rolling with what was as soon as and certain nonetheless is taken into account to be the 2 greatest groups within the Affiliation to struggle over the Larry O’Brien trophy was sensible on John’s half. Taking New York and Minnesota was enjoyable on the time realizing the impression of the KAT commerce and having simply seen the Liberty and Lynx compete within the WNBA Finals not lengthy earlier than.