The NBA has released its annual general manager inquiry on Tuesday, and executives have a very clear favorite when it comes to who will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy this summer.
An overwhelming 83% of respondents believe the Boston Celtics will repeat and win the NBA Finals this season. The Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the Finals earlier this year, which marked the franchise’s 18th championship in history. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 13% of the vote in the poll, and the Mavericks won 3%. By comparison, the Celtics and the Denver Nuggets split the vote last season at 33% each to lead the poll.
Of course, the Celtics are also the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. They won 97% of the votes there, compared to only 53% last season. The New York Knicks finished second in the voting, slightly ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder were voted to finish first. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Mavericks were close behind in that order.
The Celtics will officially open their regular season against the Knicks on October 22nd. The league hasn’t seen a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
Luke Doncic governs individual voting
Although he was not the pick to win the MVP award this season, Mavericks star Luka Dončić dominated the individual voting categories in the poll.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the pick to win MVP honors this season with 40% of the voting. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game last season while finishing second in the MVP race behind Nikola Jokić.
Dončić finished in second with 30% of the vote, and was the only other player to earn double-digit support. Joel Embiid, Jokić and Jayson Tatum finished in a tie for third at 7%.
Dončić then won votes in the best point guard, best shooting guard and best small forward categories. He was selected as the top guard in the league with 37% of the vote, fifth in the shooting guard race and in a tie for second in the small forward voting. Anthony Edwards was selected as the best shooting guard at 33%, and Tatum was the best forward at 47%.
Dončić averaged a career-high 33.9 points per game last season, which was the best output in the league, leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time since the Dirk Nowitski era. He also fell short of averaging a triple-double, with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was voted the league’s best power forward with 77% of the vote, and Jokić won 87% of the vote in the best center race.
Off-season moves, other awards
As for the offseason, general managers thought the Thunder made the best moves this past summer, slightly ahead of the 76ers. Philadelphia also acquired Paul George this past offseason, who was overwhelmingly picked as the game acquisition that will have the biggest impact this season.
The trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks was voted the biggest surprise move of the offseason. The Memphis Grizzlies won 67% of the vote in the most improved team category as well. The Grizzlies, who spent most of the year without star Ja Morant, went just 27-55 last season.
Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard was voted most likely to win Rookie of the Year honors and to be the best player in five years among current rookies. Sheppard, who the Rockets took with the No. 3 overall pick, averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists per game last season at Kentucky.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was again voted the best head coach in the league in many categories. New Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Buenholzer was voted first among new or transferred head coaches in the league.
The NBA season will officially open on October 22 with a doubleheader with contests between the Knicks and Celtics and the Lakers and Timberwolves.
