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NBA: Predicting 2019-20 individual award winners

By Jamie Campbell

NBA Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NBA Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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NBA Utah Jazz Quin Snyder (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

Predicting every individual award winner for the 2019-20 NBA season

With the start of the 2019-20 NBA season now less than a week away, it’s time to start getting back into that basketball state of mind. And what better way to do exactly that than predict the winners and contenders for every one of the major individual NBA awards?

Some of these guys are no strangers to being in the thick of these award races while others may surprise you with their presence here.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive into my way too early NBA awards predictions for the upcoming season.

(And you’re gonna wanna stick around till the end where we discuss the frontrunners and dark horse candidates for MVP)!

*You can also check out the latest episode of the Around the Arc podcast where we’ll dive deep into all of these NBA awards predictions (listen below)!

Coach of the Year (COY)

Jamie’s pick: Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz

With the stellar offseason, the Jazz has had this summer, they have put themselves right in the thick of the championship discussion. They may be considered more of a dark horse contender at this point but if a few things go right for them, they can compete with any of the other powerhouse teams in the West or the East.

A lot of Utah’s fate may rest on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell and the kind of leap he takes in year three but if he can continue on his current trajectory, the Jazz can finish as a top-3 team in the Western Conference next year.

And that will largely be due to Coach Snyder’s brilliance on both ends.

Snyder has established himself as one of the best coaches in the league over the past couple of years and this could be the season he gets officially recognized as such.

He’s coached the best defense in the west the past two years and now with more floor spacers and creators on the other end, the team’s offense should reach new heights as well.

Other guys who will be in the running and what it will take for them to win COY:

  • Doc Rivers – Successfully integrates both Kawhi and Paul George into the squad and the Clippers finish with the best record in the west.
  • Nick Nurse – Coaches the Raptors to a top-4 finish in the east despite not having Kawhi.
  • Steve Kerr – Helps the Warriors greatly outplay expectations and has them in the thick of the title race by season’s end.
  • Erik Spoelstra – With some added star power on the Heat, he helps Miami get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
  • Brad Stevens – Kemba proves to be a better point guard for Stevens than Kyrie and Boston thrives as a result, winning 50 games.