Who are the finalists for NBA awards? Victor Wembanyama, SGA headline lists
Finalists for Clutch Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year were announced on April 19.
The NBA announced finalists for end-of-season awards during the "NBA Showtime" pregame show ahead of Game 1 of the playoff series between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic on NBC on April 19. Each in-studio analyst — Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Maria Taylor — read the names of the top three for Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. The finalists for MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year will be revealed during the halftime show.
Here are the finalists announced for the NBA's individual awards: Defensive Player of the Year Chet Holmgren , Oklahoma City Thunder Ausar Thompson , Detroit Pistons Victor Wembanyama , San Antonio Spurs Sixth Man of the Year Tim Hardaway Jr. , Denver Nuggets Keldon Johnson , San Antonio Spurs Jaime Jaquez Jr. , Miami Heat Clutch Player of the Year Anthony Edwards , Minnesota Timberwolves Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Oklahoma City Thunder Jamal Murray , Denver Nuggets Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker , Atlanta Hawks Deni Avdija , Portland Trail Blazers Jalen Duren , Detroit Pistons Who is ineligible for NBA awards this season?
Here are some notable players who were ineligible for end-of-season individual awards and All-NBA teams due to not meeting the league's 65-game requirement: LeBron James , Los Angeles Lakers Stephen Curry , Golden State Warriors Anthony Edwards , Minnesota Timberwolves (more on him below) Giannis Antetokounmpo , Milwaukee Bucks Devin Booker , Phoenix Suns Jayson Tatum , Boston Celtics Jalen Williams , Oklahoma City Thunder Joel Embiid , Philadelphia 76ers Though Edwards only played in 59 games this season, Clutch Player of the Year does not have a 65-game requirement. Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham both fell just short of 65 games, but are eligible for awards after being granted an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge exception. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA individual awards finalists announced