2026 NBA Awards predictions: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and the awards races to watch down the stretch

We’ve entered the final stretch of the NBA’s awards races, where top candidates are making their cases on a nightly basis. Victor Wembanyama, for one, made it clear Monday why he thinks he deserves to be MVP this season. But will he win?

With less than three weeks to go in the regular season, we asked our 10-person NBA voting panel to predict the winner for each individual award to gauge where each race currently stands. Here are the results:

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Who will win Rookie of the Year?

Voting breakdown
Kon Knueppel, Hornets: 90%
Cooper Flagg, Mavericks: 10%

Is the Rookie of the Year race already over? What was looking like a tight two-person race between Knueppel and Flagg at midseason has become Knueppel’s award to lose, according to our panel.

The Hornets guard is second among rookies in scoring at 19.1 ppg, behind Flagg’s 20.3 ppg, and leads the league in 3-pointers made while shooting 43.4% from distance. But it’s his impact on a playoff contender, plus the fact Flagg missed nearly a month with a foot injury, that appears to have him firmly in the lead.

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Currently the betting favorite at -210 odds, according to BetMGM, Knueppel would make it two straight No. 4 picks to win the award, after San Antonio’s Stephon Castle took home top honors last year.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year?

Voting breakdown
Victor Wembanyama: 100%

Well, this race appears to be completely over. Wembanyama’s defensive impact at 7-foot-5 has been a game-changer for the Spurs, who look like the NBA’s best defense — allowing only 103.5 points per 100 possessions — when Wemby is on the court. The Spurs center dominates the paint, leading the league in blocks with three per game and pulling down 11.2 rebounds per game.

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The only intrigue that remains, then, is if Wembanyama will reach the 65-game threshold for awards eligibility. The 22-year-old has currently played in 57 of the Spurs’ 72 games, meaning he can only miss two more games of the team’s remaining 10.

Wembanyama’s rival, OKC’s Chet Holmgren, currently has the…

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Author : Yahoo Sports Staff

Publish date : 2026-03-24 21:15:00

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