Editors' note: This story has been updated after Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the rest of the season Thursday with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, thus making him ineligible to reach the 65-game minimum for awards consideration.
As the NBA picks back up in earnest after the All-Star break, the competition for the league's individual awards has taken shape.
With a third of the schedule remaining, we have a good idea now which players will reach the 65-game threshold necessary to win major awards, including Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year -- although Thursday's news that San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the regular season shows the impact the 65-game rule can have on races.
While Wembanyama's absence has created an opening for Defensive Player of the Year, favorites -- or, in the case of Most Improved Player, co-favorites -- have emerged for the other major awards.
With the help of current odds from ESPN BET and an eye on what advanced statistics tell us about player performance, let's take a closer look at how the races for the NBA's major awards can be expected to play out, including whether Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can unseat three-time winner Nikola Jokic to become the league's MVP.
Jump to an award:
MVP | Def. Player
Rookie | Sixth Man
Most Improved | Coach
All-NBA teams
