Nothin But Net
Nothin But Net
Who WINS 2024? Awards & Playoff Breakdown
Could the key to hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy lie in a MVP-caliber performance from Nikola Jokic, or might Luka Doncic's court wizardry prove to be the ultimate trump card? We're laying it all on the line with our fearless forecasts for the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, igniting a fiery debate that's as unpredictable as the season itself. Kaya's all-in on Jokic's undeniable talent, while I'm betting high stakes on Doncic's leadership, and Cole? He's doubling down on Jokic's consistent on-court brilliance. When it comes to the defensive end, we're torn between Rudy Gobert's wall-like presence for the Timberwolves and Victor Wembanyama's jaw-dropping defensive feats. It's a no-holds-barred discussion of the elite, and we can't wait to see which stars will rise to the occasion as the season barrels toward its climax.
As the playoffs loom, the conversation takes a sharp turn to the unsung heroes and strategic masterminds shaping the game from the sidelines. We're spotlighting Malik Monk's electric synergy with De'Aaron Fox and dissecting the impact of his absence on the Kings' playoff dreams. Nas Reed gets a shoutout for stepping up big time in the West, while the clutch player debate has us marveling at DeMar DeRozan's ice-cold game winners as he edges out Stephen Curry's fourth-quarter sorcery for our seal of approval. Finally, we tip our hats to Coach Mark Dagnall's exceptional leadership with the Oklahoma City Thunder, crowning him our frontrunner for Coach of the Year. Grab your headphones and join us for a rollercoaster ride of predictions, deep dives into player impacts, and a tribute to the strategic geniuses behind the scenes as we gear up for the electrifying race to the championship.
Hello everyone and welcome back to Nothing but Net where we talk all things and everything basketball. I'm Ritham.
Speaker 2:I'm Cole, I'm Kaya.
Speaker 1:And today we're going to be talking about our awards predictions for the 2024 NBA season and who our conference finals picks are going to be and who's going to win the NBA title, the Larry O'Brien trophy, the 2024 NBA champion. Are we ready? Yes, all right, all right. So let's start off with the most important award in all of basketball. In terms of the awards, let's talk about the most valuable player of the NBA. I'll let you go first Kaya.
Speaker 2:Okay for MVP. I think it's pretty clear where I'm going with this. I think I'm going to go. Jokic People are saying he's won too much, it's NBA glaze, but I don't think it's true, because Jokic, he's doing unbelievable things and he's acting like he doesn't care. He genuinely like he has so much skill and natural talent that that he he can be the greatest without even without really having to try. He doesn't care about the NBA, he wants to go take care of his horses at home yeah, but and reigning champion from last year yeah so many great games, just great player around, all around.
Speaker 1:I don't know, because you said, um, people are saying that he's won too many already, and I feel that that's my case here, because if yokich wins this award, he would have more mvps than like stephan curry, than like yannis, than, like you know, so many people with two, like two-time mvps, and that just doesn't sit right with me. That yokokic has more MVPs than Steph Curry or like some other all-time greats, like he already has more MVPs than um, what's his name? Kevin Durant, and it just, I don't know, it doesn't sit right with me.
Speaker 1:And also, another player is having a fantastic season in my books and that is the Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. He is averaging around 28-8-8. He's at the 5 seed, which is in the Western Conference this year the 5 seed, that's how you know you're a good team. I just feel like Luka is my MVP because Kyrie has been out for so long Not for so long, but he was out for a good portion of the season and he still managed to pull through and get the Mavs to winning games but also the fact that Luca that Luca makes the people around him better, because Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington they were not that good in Washington and Charlotte respectively. They came to um Dallas and Daniel Gafford almost broke Wilt Chamberlain's record of most consecutive field goals made and, like PJ, washington's really good and the Mavs are really good in general, and I think that Luka's ability to bring everybody together is why he's my MVP.
Speaker 3:Okay For me. I'm also going to go with Jokic because he is just the best player in the NBA. It's kind of been like that for the last four years, especially. I think the last point guard to win MVP was Harden in 2019, or something like that.
Speaker 2:It's been a big dominated award for the last four years and I think that'll change because there's still like you'll get, like he's a really good big and that's kind of needed in this type of game yeah, and like like going back to like the uh, he's won too much point, like I just think, like we can't degrade, we, we can't not give him the award because he's winning too much, because he is the greatest in the league right now. I truly believe that he is the greatest in the league and he deserves it. He well deserves it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just I don't know. I just I don't, because the best player in the league yeah, maybe they should win the MVP, but then LeBron James would have 10 straight MVPs if that, if the best player in the league was the category for MVP. So I get what you're saying about how we can't, like, put him down just because he's already won too. But I mean, I just I just feel that luca has a as strong of a case as yokich and he and he has the voter. He doesn't have the voter fatigue against him. So that's why I have luca as my mvp, because he has relatively the same case as Jokic. And for the people who say that Luka is the five seed, so MVP, he's not even the MVP because he can't even will his team to a top three seed. Jokic won the MVP in 2022 and he was the sixth seed. Russell Westbrook won the MVP in 2017 and he was the sixth seed. I don't think seeding matters in MVP.
Speaker 3:It really doesn't.
Speaker 1:So yeah, but now let's. So your MVP is Jokic, your MVP is Jokic and my MVP is Luka. We will see what happens, but now let's move on to Defensive Player of the Year. I'll let Cole go first this time.
Speaker 3:I have Rudy Gobert Because the Timberwolves have the best defense in the league and he has definitely stepped it up from last year in defense and he is one of the best defenders interior defenders in the league and I think he should win it Over Waminama.
Speaker 1:What about you Kai?
Speaker 2:I disagree with that. I truly do believe that Rudy Gobert is a great defensive player. He's carrying this defensively led team, this defensively prolific team yeah, with his defense, and I think he's doing very well in that. But I do believe that Victor Mignogna he should win defensive player of the year because just his stats this year I've seen a lot of his highlights. Just his blocking ability. His defensive game is different than anything I've ever seen. In the future, it can only develop.
Speaker 1:But, like Cole said, rudy Gobert led Timberwolves to the best defense in the NBA and Rudy Gobert is the ringleader of that defense. However, I feel that Kaya already said everything about how Wemby he's tall. He gets four blocks a game. That's not even possible. He has two games with eight plus blocks this year. How is that possible by a 19-year-old? Two games with eight plus blocks this year? How is that possible by a 19 year old? Um? But I feel that the the the nail in the coffin to rudy gobert's dpoi case is christian brown, because christian brown, if you don't know, as a player for the denver nuggets and he had an open fast break and rudy gobert was sitting at the other end of the basket. I don't know if you guys remember this, but he dribbled I remember dunk all over Rudy Gobert's face.
Speaker 1:Then the same play happened a couple of days later. Christian Braun was on a fast break and Wemben Yama was sitting at the other basket. He had a wide open layup, but Victor was like a little bit lingering over that way. Christian Braun decided not to take it because he knew he would get blocked and he passed away the ball. That's aura, if I have something to say. So we'll put up the clip right there. But it's really funny that Victor's, not a regular NBA player.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's an alien. He has to be an experiment made in a lab by artificial intelligence, because there's no way that he's this good at this young age. But yeah, so you got Wemby, you got Gobert, I got Wemby. Next player is our most improved player. I'll go first for this one. I got Kobe White.
Speaker 1:Now the front runner is Tyrese Maxey, but I feel that to me, most improved player and I feel that John Morant ruined this award, because, to me, the most improved player is always the player who went from someone who was unexpected like nobody knew that he would be good, people thought he would be a role player for the rest of his career to a really good NBA player, and we saw that with Laurie Markkinen last year and we saw that with Julius Randle the year before. But I feel that people are using the John Morant Award, which is when he won most improved in 2022, but he was already going to be good, and that's the same with Tyrese Maxey. He was a good player last year. He was a good player last year. He was a good player last year. It's not most improved, he just got a little better, which a lot of players do.
Speaker 1:I don't think that Tyrese Maxey is the most improved player of this season and I feel that Kobe White. He's jumped up from like nine points per game to around 20 points per game. He stepped up in Levine's finger surgery absence. He stepped up in Lonzo Ball's absence and he's helped the Bulls not be good, but they're a play-in team and I feel that Kobe White because a lot of people gave up on him. He was the eighth overall pick and people just thought he was a scrub and they gave up on him. But now he is a solidified, good player for the chicago bulls and that's why kobe white is my most improved player I agree, I feel like you really said everything.
Speaker 2:But uh, kobe white went from nine points per game, uh like, the last two years to averaging 20, like somewhere near 20 points a game. It's just a crazy improvement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cole, what about you?
Speaker 3:I also have to go with Kobe White because he is the definition of improved, because he went from a role player averaging nine points a game to a starter averaging 20-odd points per game a night. Crazy, which is pretty much the definition of being the most improved player of the year which is pretty much the definition of being the most improved player of the year.
Speaker 3:While maxi, he is definitely way better than he was last year. You could also kind of went down james harden taking this starting spot and then him having to play a role that he's not really made for and now that he's been in like that number one guy along with Joel Embiid when he's healthy. The Sixers have been good, but I think Kobe White is just a better version Well, not a better version, but like A better improvement. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I see what you're saying, but also shout out Jalen Johnson, because he was supposed to win this award but he didn't meet the 65 game minimum. But now let's go over to what else is there? I feel like this is the most obvious one. Rookie of the year.
Speaker 2:Three, two, one Victor and.
Speaker 1:Benyama, that's easy. Chet had an argument in like January, but that ended fast Quick.
Speaker 2:Real quick.
Speaker 1:Real quick yeah. So it's Victor.
Speaker 2:But I I genuinely feel like Chet would have won last year. Chet definitely would have won last year If he played.
Speaker 1:Paolo was. Paolo was really good last year it depends, but if Chet.
Speaker 2:If Chet was playing last year without a player like Wemby in the league, I feel like, because his expectations were like out of there yeah, but palo's rookie season was really good. It was really good, yeah, but, yeah, okay, not to discredit him, but just yeah, yeah all right, I feel like chet would have prospered really good, sure, sure um, next up, let's go to what else is there?
Speaker 1:sixth, sixth man of the year. I'll let cool go first for this I gotta give malik monk.
Speaker 3:Even though he is currently injured and probably will not play for the rest of the season in a contract year, he is still the best bench player in the league because when you could tell that when he came onto the court, the king's office was just better, especially when paired paired with De'Aaron Fox. He and Fox, they just have this chemistry.
Speaker 1:The Kentucky Bros.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I hope that they can bring him back, but he's probably going to ask for too much money.
Speaker 1:No, I think we can bring him back If we have enough money to get him back. And we don't get him back, that is a failure by the organization.
Speaker 3:It depends how much money he asks for.
Speaker 1:I don't care, I will give him all the money that we have. He is the best offensive player on this team and no discredit to dearon fox, but that is a fact. If you watch dearon fox lately, malik monk brings that spark, brings that energy. That's all I gotta say. For me, I just I do still have Malik Monk for all the reasons that Cole said. But I just want to give a shout out to Nas Reed because of the fact that he stepped up in Carl Anthony Towns Carl Anthony Towns' absence in a heartbeat. He did not miss a beat and he like came back. He helped them retain their top spot in the West and he just he did a really good job of stepping up when needed, which is what a sixth man should do.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, yeah, for me it was in between nas read and uh uh and malik monk, for the same reasons as both of you guys, but I think I'm going with Malik Monk just because of his offensive game. I don't know his ability to take over when the starter lineup isn't there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:He just has so many abilities on the court that no one really has.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I know they didn't have the number one offense this year, but he was a really good reason why they had the number one offense last year. So yeah, so Malik Monkeys are sixth man of the year. The next award clutch player of the year.
Speaker 2:Let's go with clutch player of the year.
Speaker 1:Kai, you want to go first for this one?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll say Stephen Curry Because just, I mean, I don't even know. I would have said I could have gone a lot of ways with this. I could have gone Kyrie, but I don't think he's right for that award yet, not yet, but he's not right for that award. I could have gone a lot of different ways, but I think I'm going with Steph Curry because if you watch him play you can tell how clutch he is, how, just how he plays like takes over in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1:all right, um, my clutch play of the year is steph curry was like a. He was up there in my decision making, but I'm gonna go with demar de rosen and part of the reason of that is that he literally, if you saw the game versus the ad at a pacers, that was the game that solidified it for me. Um, the pacers missed a free throw, the bulls called timeout and they gave it into derosen like two seconds left in the game. Boom, boom, jab, step, fade away, bucket on Mid-range fadeaway and then they went into overtime because that was the bucket that tied the game and he just went crazy in overtime and he won the game and they were down like by three and if the pacers had hit that free throw it would have been game over. But derosen came to play in the in the last couple seconds of that fourth quarter and over time, and to me that defines what clutch is and that's why demar derosen is my clutch player of the year.
Speaker 3:he takes over in the fourth quarter I'm also going to pick demar derosen and I'm just going to go by this, statistics, statistics. He has the most clutch points of any player and by that definition he should just be clutch player of the year, because, fox, last year he also had the most clutch points, I think. Second was also demar de rosen. I could be wrong there, um, but yeah, I agree with rhythm. Like he, he just elevates that bulls team, especially when it matters yeah.
Speaker 1:So you got steph, I got demar, you got demar. Yeah, next up is that. Is it just coach of the year?
Speaker 3:yeah, coach of the year, coach of the year.
Speaker 1:I know my pick. Do you know your pick? Do you know your pick mark?
Speaker 2:dagnell baby, oklahoma city thunder.
Speaker 1:He has the same case as Mike Brown last year.
Speaker 2:He brought them to so much.
Speaker 1:He brought a young team and he brought a culture to that team, because I know this is going to sound weird, but if you watch okay, stay with me here. Okay, if you watch Jalen Williams' TikToks, just stay with me you can understand how much of a culture that OKC has and how much of a teamwork and bonding. They genuinely like each other Other than Josh, they genuinely like each other and that's, I feel that Mark Dagnon is a huge reason for that, because he brought these group of young men together to be the number one seed in their conference for now men together to be the number one seed in their conference well, for now. And he literally gave a culture to okc and helped give them chemistry and plays and also off the basketball court, make them friends and work together and teamwork and everything, and that's literally what a coach does and that's why I feel that mark dang knows my coach of the year. Also, the Thunder are a really good basketball team. So yeah, mark Dagnall.
Speaker 2:I agree with you, just like I don't know. They built like, besides just the culture, they built a family, they built a community. They have so much going on in OKC that and off the court and on the court. They're just such. They're genuinely amazing people and they can do so much on the court. They're just such. They're genuine amazing people and they can do so much on the court yeah, you can.
Speaker 3:You can just tell that their like chemistry is really good and especially the improvement they made, because they're kind of like the kings from last year where they were kind of like a bottom team and now they've kind of taken that next step to be a top seed. Hopefully this time they can keep it.
Speaker 1:But um, we'll just see how they do in the playoffs but also I gotta give a shout out because if it was this time a couple months ago, I would have said will hardy was my coach of the year and I know that that this hasn't stayed. But in the beginning of january and february the utah jazz went on like a like a really big win streak, and the reason for that was because of the adjustments that Will Hardy made. He started giving Keontae George more minutes, he made Colin Sexton into more of an energy guy defensive scoring role. He benched Walker Kessler, he started Simone Fontecchio. He did all this stuff and I feel that his intellect is going to help the Jazz rebuild, go to plan and that's shout out, will Hardy. He would have won this award if the Jazz maintained that stretch, but I feel that Mark Dagnold is my coach of the year. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 3:Is that all the awards?
Speaker 2:That is pretty much all the awards. I realize all the awards, all right.
Speaker 1:Now we are going to say our conference finals picks for each conference and who is going to win it all. So let's just do our Western Conference Finals picks. Cole, I'll let you go first.
Speaker 3:I think it's going to be, I want to say Mavericks, and I'll go Mavericks and Timberwolves.
Speaker 1:So you think the Mavs or the Timberwolves can upset Denver?
Speaker 3:Yes, I can.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay.
Speaker 2:What about you, kaya? This is hard. Honestly, I might go Mavs.
Speaker 1:Timberwolves as well, because I had Nuggetss Timberwolves as well, because I had Nuggets Timberwolves. But now thinking about it, gafford can't contain Jokic, but neither can Jamal Murray contain Luka, and what about Kyrie? And I mean KCP can bring some defensive energy. But I do feel that Mavericks might be able to upset denver. Um, the clippers have not looked good recently. I've they were close championship pick, they were my. Maybe they could upset denver, but that that is plan is over for me. I don't think that they can do it anymore, but I feel that mavs timberwolves is actually realistic kind of maps timberwolves is actually realistic.
Speaker 2:kind of Mavs, Timberwolves is realistic.
Speaker 1:I feel like the Timberwolves can make the conference.
Speaker 2:The Timberwolves. I had them said, but I was. I don't know. I think I'm going to go with the Nuggets for this one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you can't doubt the Nuggets. You can never doubt the Nuggets. So, yeah, that's a fair pick. Now the Eastern Conference. I'll go first for this one. I got Boston, which a lot of people say it's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when they're talking about Boston. That's so fake. I mean, last year they literally lost to Miami. That was their literally only choke. They made the finals last year when they were an extremely young team. Then the year before, they consistently made the conference finals, even as an extremely young team, and now they're in their prime years.
Speaker 1:I don't think people understand how good Boston is this year, and I said that last episode. Who can beat Boston? Sure, they got blown out by the Knicks, but that's because they're resting their players. The Boston Celtics are so good. They have the best net ratings as the 2017 Warriors. The 2017 Warriors had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. That says something. But uh, yeah. So I think Boston is going to be my number one team to make the conference finals. And sleeperer team I got New York. I got New York making the conference finals over Miami and Milwaukee.
Speaker 3:Okay, I got Boston Miami.
Speaker 1:Boston, Miami again the third the fourth, the fifth, sixth, because they had, because in 2010, they had it conference finals 2011,. Conference finals 2012,. Conference finals.
Speaker 3:And now 2020. Three and four 2011, conference Finals 2012, conference.
Speaker 1:Finals. And now 2022, 2023, and four and 2020, 2021.
Speaker 3:I know 2020.
Speaker 1:2022.
Speaker 2:2022, 2023, and then yeah.
Speaker 1:Like a lot of Boston, Miami.
Speaker 2:But yeah, how about you? Okay, if you would have asked me like four weeks ago, I would me like four weeks ago I would have said cleveland and boston.
Speaker 1:It's not because of bias or anything.
Speaker 2:He's not biased he's not biased guys, uh, but I think right now I'm gonna have to go boston, I don't know, boston, boston, new york, or boston, cleveland still really cleveland okay cleveland cleveland's a great team guys, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, they're good. Cleveland is a great team.
Speaker 3:But they've kind of had a little slump.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I genuinely feel like in the playoffs they could do great.
Speaker 1:They're in a slump at the wrong time. But we also got to realize the fact that Joel Embiid I know he's the second round 76ers, but Joel Embiid, I know he's the second round 76ers, but Joel Embiid came back late March and the Sixers haven't lost a game.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they're on a seven game, one streak right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so.
Speaker 3:We know what happened to Joel.
Speaker 1:Embiid, but at the same time.
Speaker 3:It's kind of the end of the season. People are starting to get low managed. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's also the Philadelphia second round 76ers, so we can never trust them.
Speaker 2:That's why I'll never pick them okay last year I picked a sixes nuggets finals never again never again, fortunate.
Speaker 1:So I'm gonna say boston and undecided boston, boston, okay, and then for my finalists, I'm gonna go boston, minnesota and for mine I'm gonna go miami, min and Minnesota wins. You think Minnesota is going to win the chip?
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:What about you Kaya?
Speaker 2:I'm going Boston and Nuggets, boston, nuggets.
Speaker 1:Boston Nuggets yeah, that's the obvious one. If you bet $1,000 on that, nobody would be mad at you, because that's the safest pick.
Speaker 2:That's the safest pick, yeah.
Speaker 1:For me, I'm going to go Boston, Minnesota, and I'm going to take Boston to win.
Speaker 2:But we know what happened last year.
Speaker 1:We do know that, but I just feel that this year is different because this is Boston's only year to win, because they're going to be in salary cap hell after that Drew Holiday extension. This is their year to win and I think they're locked in Drew Holiday extension. This is their year to win and I think they're locked in, lock in, we'll see.
Speaker 2:We'll see.
Speaker 1:We'll see, but thank you everyone for listening to this episode of Nothing but Net. We will see you, maybe after the playoffs, maybe during the playoffs, but hopefully our predictions come true and we'll see you next time.
Speaker 2:Bye, bye.