NBA individual award predictions for the 24/25 season

The NBA regular season is here, with new storylines to follow and more players to watch out for in a gruelling 82-game campaign toward the playoffs!

Although basketball is a team game, players are judged on the awards and accolades they receive during their careers in the NBA.

Seven individual awards will be given out at the end of the 2024/25 season: MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, and Clutch Player of the Year. Here are our predictions.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey will win the Rookie of the Year because he is the only rookie in the 2024 class to be guaranteed starter minutes. He will play 20+ minutes every game and be a huge defensive presence at 7ft+ for the Grizzlies.

Houston's Reed Sheppard is a real contender for the award with his explosive shooting and excellent basketball IQ. However, with Edey's size, he will average near a double-double in a team pushing for the playoffs now Ja Morant is healthy.

The Sixth Man of the Year award is returning to Minnesota, but this time, it's going to Donte DiVincenzo instead of Naz Reid. DiVincenzo can smell blood after being traded away from the New York Knicks, and he can have a real impact off the bench.

The former Knick has fitted seamlessly into the Wolves' offense and was a starter on a 50-win team last year, providing elite three-point shooting. Minnesota needs a scorer to back up Anthony Edwards, and DiVincenzo is more than capable of doing it.

Atlanta's Jalen Johnson should have been a contender for Most Improved Player last season, jumping from 5.6 points, four rebounds, and 1.2 assists to 16 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season. This season has got to be his year.

With Dejounte Murray moving to the New Orleans Pelicans, Johnson will become the secondary scorer to Trae Young in the Hawks' offense. He will play a significant role and should push to average 20 points and ten rebounds this season.

Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka has the perfect mix of young and old in their line-up, and Udoka has all the experience needed to get the best out of players like Jabari Smith, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and new-boy Reed Sheppard.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

With captains like Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams on the roster, Udoka could lead this team to a playoff run if the roster stays healthy and firing on all cylinders. This Houston team has so much talent, and Udoka could be the coach who unlocks all of its potential.

New York's Jalen Brunson has arrived in his prime and has become one of the most clutch players in the NBA during his time at MSG, scoring the most clutch points in the playoffs in the last two seasons (67 points), the NBA website reports.

This award is for volume shooters, and Brunson fits that bill perfectly. He had multiple 40+ games in the regular season last year, averaging 28.7 points on 47.9% from the field.

This award could belong to San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama for the next decade if he wants it to. According to Yahoo Sports, the Spurs center averaged 3.9 blocks and 1.2 steals last season, holding opponents to 53% shooting at the rim. DPOY numbers as a rookie.

Wembanyama is an alien and an NBA player who looks to have been made in a lab. His 7ft4 presence and the fact that his NBA career is still in its infancy are scary prospects for everyone in the league. This award should be named after him when his career is finished.

This award could go to many big hitters, including Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Jayson Tatum. However, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards will be the man to lift the award in the 2024-25 season.

Coming off a historic run to the Western Conference Finals and an Olympic Gold medal, Edwards will be hungrier than ever to succeed this year with the Timberwolves. With the loss of Karl Anthony Towns, Edwards will have more offensive load than last year, sending his numbers through the roof.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!