In just under a week’s time in New York City, Drake will be hosting the first ever NBA Awards night.

This is a chance to bring together some of the greatest players in the league and celebrate the achievements of players over the course of the 2016-17 NBA Season.

This is the first time the NBA MVP and other major awards will be announced on a live televised show. The night will be presented by the TNT team from ‘Inside the NBA’ in Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. Hip-Hop artist Nicki Minaj will be performing as well on the night.

The awards presented will include; the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, Kia NBA Most Improved Player and the NBA Coach of the Year.

The night will also include some awards voted on by the fans, including the Dunk, Assist and Block of the Year, Best Style and Best Playoff Moment.

There are three nominees for each of the major awards and I will be picking the winner for each of the awards.

Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
WINNER: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

After being pick three in the 2014 NBA Draft, and spending two years recovering from a broken foot, Embiid finally started his NBA career and it was worth the wait.

He quickly became a fan favourite and the star of a struggling Sixers team. Known as ‘The Process’ Embiid was finally the player fans had been waiting for after struggling for seasons. His stats are outstanding for a rookie, with Embiid averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in a reduced 25 minutes per game.

To stand out like that on a struggling team as a rookie is quite an achievement. The only thing going against Embiid is he only managed to play 31 games during the season before a meniscus tear and subsequent knee surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the season. I don’t know if that’s enough games played to earn the award, but he was the clear-cut best rookie this season.

THE OTHERS: My second place would be Milwaukee combo guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was consistent playing in the Bucks’ backcourt whether it being alongside Dellavadova, Snell or Antetokounmpo. He averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and shot 40 per cent from three-point land.

But it was his dunks on Kyrie Irving and LeBron James against the Cavaliers that really brought him the attention he deserved.

Third place would be Dario Saric who really took over when Embiid went down, winning the East Rookie of the Month in February and March. The 6′ 10″ forward had the opportunity to show his true skill and will have a major part to play in the Sixers’ future front court alongside Embiid and Ben Simmons. He ended the season averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in 26 minutes per game.

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Kia NBA Sixth Man Award
WINNER: Lou Williams (Houston Rockets)

He already has sixth man award in his trophy cabinet but I believe this season he’ll add a second one.

Williams played most of the season for a struggling Lakers line up before being traded to Houston just before the deadline for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick.

Williams is instant offence off the bench for any line-up. His ability to score makes his team’s second unit work a lot better and the production doesn’t drop. His output dropped a bit after the trade, but he was still was dependable off the bench – finishing the season averaging 17.5 points and three assists a night while averaging 35 per cent from three and 42 per cent from the field.

THE OTHERS: Second place goes to Williams’ Rockets teammate Eric Gordon who was in his first season with Houston and was a three-point marksman off the bench. He ended the season fourth in the league for three-pointers made with 246 with 60 of his 75 games off the bench, while also averaging 16.5 points a game. It was the most games he had played in since his rookie season eight years ago.

Third is Warriors forward Andre Iguodala who had a more limited role this season, only averaging 7.6 points, four rebounds and 3.4 assists a night. But it’s the work he does that the stats don’t show that earn him the recognition.

He will normally guard and shut down the opposition’s star players and do the little things like set picks and screens, dive on loose balls do the dirty work.

Kia NBA Most Improved Player
WINNER: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

No one deserves this award more than the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. This season he turned from an amazing young player to a superstar. His athletic ability for a 6′ 11″ forward with one of the longest wingspans made him a joy to watch, getting into the lane so easily and showing some spectacular dunks, even improving his field goal percentage to 52.2 per cent.

Antetokounmpo this season became a first-time NBA All-Star – the team’s first since Michael Redd in 2004 – while also becoming the first ever Greek All-Star. He led his team in the five major categories in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, becoming the fifth player ever to do so in NBA history.

He finished the season averaging 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 blocks a game, leading the Bucks into the playoffs with their best record since the 2009-10 season.

THE OTHERS: Utah Center Rudy Gobert is my pick for second. The 7′ 1″ centre became undoubtedly the league’s best interior defender. He helped the Jazz become the fourth-best defensive team in the NBA and was a major factor in them getting them to sixth in the West and their first playoff appearance in five years.

He brought such a presence to the Jazz. Not only did he lead the NBA in blocked shots, but stopped several shots simply by being there, as players would steer clear of the lane with him on the inside. Gobert also increased his production, scoring five more points a game and increased his field goal percentage to 66 per cent.

He finished the season averaging 14 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

Third place is Nikola Jokic or the Joker. In his second NBA season, he has gone from a young developing big man to the centrepiece of the Denver Nuggets.

He’s a centre that’s become a good scorer on the inside and can be a great facilitator for such a big man. He set career highs in points (40) assists (12) and rebounds (21) this season, while ending the year fourth on the NBA’s list of triple doubles with six – behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden and LeBron James.

He ended up averaging 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game.

NBA Coach of the Year
WINNER: Mike D’Antoni (Houston Rockets)

D’Antoni’s first season in Houston proved to be a very productive and successful season. He turned a team that went 41-41 last season and only scraped into the playoffs into a team who ended up third in the Western Conference with a 55-27 record.

Known as an offensive-minded coach, D’Antoni had the Rockets third in offensive efficiency and a respectable 15th in defensive efficiency. He turned them into a three-point shooting team shooting team – leading the league in three-pointers attempted.

With his star James Harden running the point, D’Antoni surrounded him with shooters including Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza with a license to shoot. The Rockets were a borderline playoff team, but D’Antoni turned them into a real scoring squad that made it to the second round of the playoffs before being knocked off 4-2 by the Spurs.

THE OTHERS: Second place is San Antonio’s Greg Popovich. It’s hard to believe the Spurs lost the team’s best ever player in Tim Duncan and were still able to finish second in the league in defensive efficiency. Having a mix of age and youth in his squad to play with stars Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, ‘Coach Pop’ still led the Spurs to a 61-21 record and got them all the way to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Warriors.

Third place is Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. The two-time Championship coach probably had his toughest ever assignment this season. Losing Dwyane Wade and knowing Chris Bosh may never return, Spoelstra’s young squad started 11-30, before going on an amazing 30-11 run in the second half of the season. Led by Goran Dragic and Hasan Whiteside, they fell one win short of making the playoffs and taking the eighth spot from the Chicago Bulls.

In that run, he helped rejuvenate some careers including the likes of Dion Waiters and James Johnson. It was also the best ever second half of the season for a team that didn’t make the playoffs.

Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
WINNER: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

The heart of the Warriors defence is in my eyes the defensive player of the year.

This was the hardest award to pick by far but Green stands out above everyone else. The 6′ 7″ forward is a beast on the defensive end and can guard every position on the floor even at his height. He led the league in steals and still averaged a 1.4 blocks and 7.9 rebounds a night.

He gives his team everything every night, not leaving anything out on the court and can play wherever needed. He gets under opponents skin, trash talks nonstop, and will use his scary demeanour to his advantage, putting players off their game and helping his defence.

THE OTHERS: A close second place is Utah’s Rudy Gobert for helping raise the Jazz to one of the best defensive teams in the league. Gobert became the best rim detector in the league, leading the NBA in blocked shots with 2.6 blocks a game.

It was also in someways the shots he didn’t block, with his presence in the lane making many players steer clear and take more difficult shots.

Third is Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard who is, in my opinion, the best two-way player in the league. He is a major presence on the defensive end, can guard all guard and forward positions, hustles and shuts down players. He gained the nickname the Klaw due to his large hands and used them to reach the NBA’s top ten in steals with 1.8 steals a night, reading passing lanes and affecting the opponent’s offence.

Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award
WINNER: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)

The standout player by far, Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook had a record breaking season.

Spurred on by losing his former MVP and All-Star teammate Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook took the league by storm.

He led the league in points averaging 31.6, third in assists with 10.4 and was 11th in rebounding averaging 10.7 a game. Westbrook carried the team on his back leading them to a 47-35 record and sixth seed in the Western Conference before being knocked out in the first round by the Rockets.

But it was his individual achievements this season that put him above the rest. Some of these include being the only player in NBA history to have at least 100 points, 30 rebounds and 30 assists through his team’s first three games of a season and the only player in NBA history to have two streaks of seven consecutive triple-doubles in a single season. He is now also the only player ever to have three 50-point triple-doubles in a season.

He holds the record for most points in a triple-double game with 57 points. He became the second ever player along with Oscar Robertson to end the season averaging a triple double.

But the record he should be most proud of is the record for most triple-doubles in a single NBA season – 42.

Westbrook’s record-breaking season should make him MVP. He’s done some things no players would ever dream of, he’s one of those special players that is a never-ending highlight reel.

RUNNER UP
James Harden (Houston Rockets)

Harden has always been known as an efficient scorer who can both get in the lane or light up oppositions from three-point distance. But this season he took the next step, moving to point, becoming a floor general, taking his game to the next level and leading the Rockets to third in the West with a 55-27 record.

He was second in scoring, averaging 29.1 points, and led the NBA in assists with 11.2 per game along with averaging 1.5 steals a night.

Some may argue Harden deserves the MVP more than Westbrook given he had very similar statistics, just without all the records, but led his team to an even better record and higher standing. Harden is a special player that showed us this season a part of his game that we didn’t believe he had.

THIRD PLACE
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)

Kawhi came into the league six years ago and has grown from a shutdown defender to one of the best two-way players in the game along with LeBron James.

This season after the retirement of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, Leonard took the mantle of team leader and showed how much of a star he’s grown into. Leading the Spurs to the second-best record in the West, he went beyond expectations as a leader – never backing down from a challenge.

He ended the season averaging 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals a night. Still only young, Kawhi will grow and improve as a player and leader and has the quality on both ends to win an MVP trophy one day.