Wembanyama finished his rookie season averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game in 71 starts. The 7-foot-4 power forward became just the fourth player, and first rookie, to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists, and 250 blocked shots as he began to deliver on the hype that made him one of the most anticipated draft picks in professional sports history.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was a massive betting favorite to win the Rookie of the Year before the season at -145. Wembanyama received all 99 first-place votes, making him the first unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year since Karl-Anthony Towns in the 2015-16 season. He is the first international winner of the award since Dallas’ Luka Doncic in 2019 and the fifth such winner in the last 10 seasons.
Daigneault was promoted from head coach of the Thunder’s G-League affiliate in 2020, tasked with shepherding a young, rebuilding Oklahoma City team. That rebuild paid off in a major way this past season, as the Thunder finished with a 57-20 record and secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cemented his status as one of the best players in the NBA — becoming an MVP finalist — second-year players Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams took a major leap in the frontcourt, and fellow starters Lu Dort and Josh Giddey continued to show off their two-way abilities under Daigneault’s tutelage. All five regular Thunder starters averaged double-digit points per game during the regular season.
Clutch Player of the Year: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The 10-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion finished first in points (189), made field goals (59), and made 3-pointers (32) in the clutch this season, defined by the NBA as the last five minutes of a game in which the score is within five points.
Curry shot 49.6% from the field and 45.7% from 3-point range in these scenarios, and the Warriors were 23-20 with him in the lineup.
In February, the two-time NBA MVP became the first player to reach 3,600 career 3-pointers. The 36-year-old will join Team USA men’s basketball this summer in Paris for his Olympic debut.
Sixth Man of the Year: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
Naz Reid flourished off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, averaging 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game — all career-highs — in 24.2 minutes per game. Reid also notably shot 41.4% from 3-point range on 5.0 attempts per game. A little less than half of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.
Reid beat out Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk for the award. Monk was the betting favorite to win at -280, followed by Reid at +230. Monk led the league in points off the bench with 15.4 PPG.
Most Improved Player: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Following the Sixers’ trade of James Harden to the Clippers in October 2023, Maxey quickly became the No. 2 scorer on the team behind reigning league MVP Joel Embiid while also blossoming into his role as Philadelphia’s starting point guard. The 23-year-old former first-round pick out of Kentucky was named to his first All-Star game in February, and averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in the 2023-24 regular season.
Maxey, who was +1100 in betting odds to win the Most Improved Player award before the season, has three 50-plus point games in his career, with his latest being a 52-point performance in April against the San Antonio Spurs. He finished the season averaging 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game, helping the Sixers reach the playoffs again as the No. 7 seed after beating the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament.
