2025-26 NBA Awards Ballot
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Daniel Waddleton
Apr 13, 2025
It’s a dream of mine to one day cast a real NBA awards ballot. Unfortunately, I’m not there yet, so for now I’ll keep submitting my fake one to this website.
Call me a nerd loser. Tell me to get a life. All I know is this nerd loser takes the process seriously because I think it matters, and I wish more real voters treated it that way.
If you are new here it's important to note I don’t go fully positionless with my teams. I'm still under the belief an “All-Team” should still resemble an actual lineup, not just a pile of names. If your All-Defensive First Team has five centers or your Second Team All-NBA has five 6'5 and under scoring guards, the exercise starts to lose its meaning.
There’s obviously more positional overlap now than ever, and I account for that. But I just don't want the All-Teams to be a pile of names, that’s what the awards are for. So for every team I make sure to have at least one guard, and at least one traditional big.
Maybe I really am a nerd loser?
Awards Ballot:
Most Valuable Player
Nikola Jokic, Denver
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles
Jaylen Brown, Boston
Rookie of the Year
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte
Cooper Flagg, Dallas
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia
Defensive Player of the Year
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota
Sixth Man of the Year
Jaime Jaquez Jr, Miami
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio
Jordan Goodwin, Phoenix
Most Improved Player
Nickeil-Alexander Walker, Atlanta
Jalen Duren, Detroit
Neemas Queta, Boston
Coach of the Year
Joe Mazzulla, Boston
Jordan Ott, Phoenix
Charles Lee, Charlotte
All-NBA First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City
Jaylen Brown, Boston
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles
Nikola Jokic, Denver
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
All-NBA Second Team
Jamal Murray, Denver
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland
Scottie Barnes, Toronto
Kevin Durant, Houston
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City
All-NBA Third Team
Jalen Brunson, New York
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia
Derrick White, Boston
Deni Avdija, Portland
Jalen Duren, Detroit
All-Defensive First Team
Derrick White, Boston
Ausar Thompson, Detroit
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota
All-Defensive Second Team
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta
Stephon Castle, San Antonio
Scottie Barnes, Toronto
OG Anunoby, New York Knicks
Bam Adebayo, Miami
All-Rookie First Team
Dylan Harper, San Antonio
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte
Cooper Flagg, Dallas
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte
All-Rookie Second Team
Sion James, Charlotte
Cedric Cowherd, Memphis
Ace Bailey, Utah
Collin-Murray Boyles, Toronto
Derik Queen, New Orleans
Toughest Omissions
James Harden, Cleveland - Third Team All-NBA
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota - Third Team All-NBA
Darko Rajaković, Raptors - Coach of the Year
Ineligible players who would have made my ballot: Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards.
Comments