Here are the favorites to win the individual NBA awards in 2026

It is impossible not to start building castles in the air in our minds about what may happen in the upcoming NBA season. Even with the aftermath of what has happened and seeing the trading card swaps in important teams, experts have published their predictions regarding the individual awards.

As much as there are many factors that can completely modify the forecasts, the truth is that it is difficult to think that Nikola Jokic will not continue anchored in maximum excellence and that, if he achieves it, he will be rewarded with the MVP. After being surpassed by Shai last year, a collective improvement of the Nuggets is expected to place the Serbian as a great candidate for that privilege since there is no one like him to consistently amass astonishing statistics.

Regarding the Defensive Player of the Year, all those consulted lean towards Victor Wembanyama, a man whose natural ability to block, and even steal the ball, makes it utopian to think of someone who can challenge him for that award. His greater maturity and competitive drive with the Spurs could pave the way for him to achieve that. There are even fewer doubts about the Rookie of the Year, which should go to Cooper Flagg, although perhaps a greater prominence of another player in a team with less competitive aspirations, where he has more prominence than Flagg, could change this forecast.

The big unknowns and where there is least consensus are in the Coach of the Year, with Ime Udoka and Jamahl Mosley as top candidates, as the Rockets and the Magic are the teams with the greatest growth potential, but also in the Most Improved Player and Best Clutch Player categories. Making predictions about both categories is like flipping a coin, but they place Andrew Nemhardt and Deni Avdija in the first category, and Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards in the second.

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