Full List of Finalists for MVP, DPOY, ROY, 6th Man of Year, COY, MIP

The NBA released the full list of finalists for its top individual awards on Friday’s edition of NBA Tip-Off prior to the Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat play-in game.

Highlighting the list, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were named the three MVP finalists, as expected.

Jokić is looking for his third straight MVP award. Antetokounmpo seeks his third MVP as well after winning in 2019 and 2020. Embiid, the league’s leading scorer, would get his first MVP award.

Here’s a look at all the finalists for the year’s MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year and Clutch Player of the Year awards alongside some quick analysis on who could be taking home the hardware and why.

MVP

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL
• Joel Embiid, PHI
• Nikola Jokić, DEN

Defensive Player of the Year

• Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM
• Brook Lopez, MIL
• Evan Mobley, CLE

Rookie of the Year

• Paolo Banchero, ORL
• Walker Kessler, UTAH
• Jalen Williams, OKC

Most Improved Player

• Jalen Brunson, NYK
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
• Lauri Markkanen, UTAH

Sixth Man of the Year

• Malcolm Brogdon, BOS
• Bobby Portis, MIL
• Immanuel Quickley, NYK

Coach of the Year

• Mike Brown, SAC
• Mark Daigneault, OKC
• Joe Mazzulla, BOS

Clutch Player of the Year

• Jimmy Butler, MIA
• DeMar DeRozan, CHI
• De’Aaron Fox, SAC

A case can be made for all three MVP candidates, but early returns show that Embiid is the clear leader in the race.

Max Croes, who tracks public ballots for the NBA awards, posted this update on Friday:

It’s easy to see why Embiid may be the choice. He just averaged 33.1 points on 54.8 percent shooting, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the third-place 76ers. Embiid also caught fire in March, notably posting 36.2 points on 61.3 percent shooting in 10 games from March 2-20. He added 52 points and 13 boards against the Boston Celtics on April 4.

The Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year races should be close. This is what the DPOY ledger looked like on Tuesday:

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is the league’s top shot-blocker and an absolute menace down low. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is the top defensive player on the league’s best defensive team. Brook Lopez has been a shot-blocking machine for the NBA’s best regular-season team, the Milwaukee Bucks. And Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year, is seemingly a perennial candidate for this honor.

The Sixth Man of the Year award will be between a pair of Atlantic Division…