The 2024-25 NBA season doesn’t begin for another two months, but with the offseason at a standstill and few significant moves expected before next season begins, now is the time to take a look at the league landscape and predict how things might play out when it comes to awards.
You could argue Atlanta should have had one honoree last year, and if forward Jalen Johnson could have stayed healthy, you could argue they should have had two. Bogdan Bogdanovic was snubbed Bogdanovic and Johnson both failed to reach the 65 games required to win the NBA’s major awards. I think both players will be in the running for both awards again this year, as do some of ESPN’s NBA experts. ESPN surveyed 15 NBA analysts and reporters to find out who will win the major awards this season and both Bogdanovic and Johnson got mentioned for the 6th Man of the Year and Most Improved Player awards.
Here’s how the voting for the 6th Man of the Year went (with a first-place vote receiving five points, a second-place vote receiving three points, and a third-place vote receiving one point):
T-1. Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings: 38 points (19% of first-place votes)
T-1. Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder: 38 points (19%)
3. Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves: 29 points (19%)
4. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat: 18 points (10%)
5. TJ McConnell, Indiana Pacers: 13 points (10%)
6. Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks: 11 points (10%)
T-7. Russell Westbrook, Denver Nuggets: 7 points
T-7. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks: 7 points
T-8. José Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans: 6 points (5%)
T-8. Norman Powell, LA Clippers: 6 points (5%)
T-9. Josh Hart, New York Knicks: 5 points (5%)
T-9. Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers: 5 points
T-10. Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets: 3 points
T-10. CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans: 3 points
Here’s how the vote for the most improved player went:
T-1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: 26 points (14% of first-place votes)
T-1. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder: 26 points (10%)
3. Coby White, Chicago Bulls: 25 points (14%)
4. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons: 22 points (14%)
5. Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets: 14 points (10%)
T-6. Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs: 12 points (5%)
T-6. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets: 12 points (5%)
7. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers: 11 points (5%)
8. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors: 10 points (10%)
9. Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic: 7 points
T-10. RJ Barrett, Toronto Raptors: 5 points (5%)
T-10. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks: 5 points (5%)
T-10. Jalen Green, Houston Rockets: 5 points (5%)
I think both players are a bit underrated. Bogdanovic should have arguably won the award last year, let alone finished in the top 3. I think he will have a better impact on the Hawks than some of the players listed above him (Russell Westbrook). Johnson may have won the award last year after making a huge leap forward and he could have another one this year. Johnson went from averaging 5.6 points per game to averaging 16.0 points per game with 8.7 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game. Johnson has a chance to make another big leap forward as he is projected to be the Hawks’ No. 2 player after Trae Young.
There are other players on the Hawks who could be involved in both of these awards.
De’Andre Hunter played well as a backup, but he could also start depending on how the Hawks want to handle Zaccharie Risacher. If Hunter comes off the bench, he could be an interesting player to watch for the 6th Man of the Year award as he played very well as a backup last year. Dyson Daniels and Oneyka Okongwu both become starters and show vast improvement in their numbers, they could be mentioned for Most Improved Player.
