The 2022-23 NBA season starts tomorrow! The games count tomorrow. The championship hardly ever feels this wide-open. There is so much parody across both conferences. And more than that, there are more good teams than we’re used to. Each conference has eight or nine teams that feel like genuine postseason threats.
For the Sixers, the new season brings about the opportunity to finally advance past the second round. The entire team has spoken with the same voice since training camp: it’s championship or bust. Nothing short of the mountaintop will satisfy them.
As has been the case in recent years, Philly has multiple award contenders on the roster. Joel Embiid impacts the game in so many different ways. James Harden is one of the greatest offensive players of all time. Tyrese Maxey is lightning in a bottle. Doc Rivers is one of the most decorated coaches in the game.
Who will actually compete in the 2023 awards race, though? Let’s make some predictions.
2023 NBA Coach of the Year Prediction
2. Ty Lue, Clippers
3. Chris Finch, Timberwolves
Willie Green’s reputation swelled over the second half of last season as the Pelicans emerged from the doldrums of the NBA to make a surprise postseason appearance (and even challenge the No. 1 seed Suns in the first round). Now, the Pelicans are the breakout candidate of the 2022-23 NBA season. That team has special potential.
Zion Williamson’s return should cement the Pelicans as one of the league’s most potent offensive teams. It will be Green’s first chance to coach the former No. 1 pick, who will share playmaking duties with new arrival CJ McCollum and All-Star Brandon Ingram. New Orleans is deep, dynamic, and versatile. Health permitting, Green’s team should quickly ascend the ladder of NBA contenders.
A true player’s coach who is beloved in the locker room and clearly competent with his X’s and O’s, Green has to be one of the preseason favorites for this award. He has stiff competition — there are plenty of great NBA coaches and plenty of great NBA teams — but the Pelicans are set to explode into the national consciousness, and Green will explode with them.
2023 NBA Most Improved Player Prediction
2. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
3. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
The famous “third-year leap” is fast approaching for several Most Improved Player candidates. None more so than Tyrese Maxey, who’s ready to build on his revelatory second season for a Sixers team that’s well positioned to contend in the Eastern Conference.
Unlike Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, who both achieved a level of stardom last season, Maxey is still on the precipice of truly elite NBA production. He could shatter whatever barrier stands between him and greatness in year three. We’ve already seen hints of what’s to come in the preseason: Maxey looks even more confident from 3 and he’s clearly taking a step forward as a playmaker.
Maxey is the electricity crackling through Philly’s offense. While Joel Embiid pounds out points in the paint and James Harden explores his old age, it’s Maxey’s blinding speed and feather-soft touch that makes the Sixers truly special. With so much attention being focused on Philly’s veteran superstars, Maxey is often left to attack third or fourth-best defenders who are behind on rotations and struggling to catch up. Once he’s moving downhill with an advantage, Maxey might be the most unstoppable 6-foot-2 guard in the NBA.
There’s a real chance Maxey is the Sixers’ No. 2 scorer, or at least building considerably upon his 17.5 points per game from last season. If he continues to refine his shot selection while commanding a bigger portion of the Sixers’ elite offense, Maxey will have no shortage of voters singing his praises.
2023 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Prediction
2. Norman Powell, Clippers
3. Malcolm Brogdon, Celtics
Tyler Herro joining the Heat’s starting five opens up the Sixth Man of the Year race considerably… and the award will probably go to a very similar player in Jordan Poole. This award has long been reserved for high-scoring guards. Poole just received his $140 million payday and the Warriors will make every effort to feature him in possibly the NBA’s most potent offense.
Poole has all the style and flash we’ve come to associate with this award: Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, JR Smith, James Harden. These guys put on a show. Poole has just as much substance as style, too. He has learned a lot from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, becoming a player who can dominate equally with or without the basketball.
Golden State is going to win a lot of games and, fresh off the NBA championship, all eyes will be glued to the Warriors’ national TV schedule. There are some truly elite bench players this season (one could argue Norman Powell and Malcolm Brogdon are better overall players right now), but Poole will probably score the most points. He will do so efficiently, and he will do so with spunk.
2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Prediction
2. Jabari Smith Jr., Rockets
3. Jaden Ivey, Pistons
For most of the summer, Paolo Banchero was mocked third overall to Houston… until he wasn’t. Orlando made the Duke product the No. 1 pick, adding him to what could be the most exciting young core in the NBA. Banchero is the shot creator and offensive workhorse the Magic have long lacked. He should get every opportunity to stuff the stat sheet and earn his flowers as the top pick.
Banchero will probably lead all rookies in scoring (generally a good indicator of who wins the award). He will also grab plenty of rebounds, dish out a healthy helping of assists, and rack up a few triple-doubles along the way. Orlando’s offense will run through him. No other top pick is the centerpiece of their offense right now.
That’s not to say Banchero is alone atop the Orlando depth chart: both Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner are due for big seasons. It wouldn’t completely shock me if Wagner was the Magic’s top scorer instead of Banchero. But regardless, Banchero will be plenty involved in the offense. And Orlando is going to be fun to watch. People will start paying attention to that team, and Banchero will be a big reason why.
He has competition: Jabari Smith Jr. and Jaden Ivey are special talents who are well positioned to succeed, but Banchero is the undeniable frontrunner here. Even if you don’t think he’s the best prospect in the class, he’s the most ready to put up numbers as a rookie.
2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Prediction
2. Draymond Green, Warriors
3. Herb Jones, Pelicans
The discourse around Rudy Gobert, who has made four All-NBA teams and won Defensive Player of the Year thrice already, can get tiresome. He has for whatever reason become something of a political football. Certain factions of the NBA fandom revere him while others treat him like an English student treats a math problem.
As someone who adores English and hates math, let me tell you the truth as I see it: Gobert is the greatest defender of his generation. It takes seriously special ability to win four Defensive Player of the Year trophies. I think it will happen.
The Timberwolves are going to win a lot of games. Minnesota will likely field one of the top defenses in the NBA despite real concerns about how Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell will hold up in the new system. Gobert is more than a stiff shot-blocker in the paint. He’s a one-man system who single-handedly reforms how opposing offenses operate. Guards don’t challenge him at the rim. For every highlight of Gobert getting sauced by Devin Booker on the perimeter, there’s a clip of him defending in space before making a crisp rotation inside for the blocked shot.
There will naturally be others in the conversation — Draymond Green would’ve won last season if not for injury and Herb Jones is quickly climbing the ranks of elite perimeter defenders — but this is basically Gobert’s award to lose every season.
2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Prediction
2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Nobody has won three straight MVP awards since Larry Bird. While I think Nikola Jokic is more than capable of making history, I’m not sure the voting body is eager to anoint him on the same level as Larry Bird. There’s a sizable chunk of the voting block predetermined to vote for someone else. Joel Embiid has been that “someone else” two years running.
If you’re a movie buff who listens to the Rewatchables Podcast, you will sometimes hear Bill Simmons make mention of an “It’s Time” award — when the Oscars reward a great filmmaker or performer because “it’s time,” even if it’s not their best work. We could see something similar with the MVP race. Even if Embiid doesn’t separate himself from Jokic or Giannis or whoever else enters the fray, he could win the award because it’s just… time.
Embiid has been within reach of the award two years in a row now. The Sixers have surrounded him with more talent top to bottom than ever before. Embiid’s life should be easier this season. Harden will boost Embiid’s efficiency and draw double teams of his own. Embiid has also committed to playing the best defense of his career, if you’re to believe his training camp comments. Well, the “he plays both sides of the ball” argument has been used by many Embiid supporters in the past. If he puts up an elite defensive season and maintains his recent scoring output, it’s hard not to consider Embiid the preseason favorite.
Jokic will make his own push. Giannis is the best player in basketball and can’t be ignored. Luka Doncic is the Vegas favorite and will post absurd numbers for Dallas, a team built almost entirely around Luka’s ball dominance. Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker — can’t ignore them either. But Embiid is the favorite, whether you think he will have the best season or if you just think the voters are itching for change.