Thunder Notes: Mitchell, J. Williams, McCain, Caruso, Hartenstein, Holmgren
Ajay Mitchell will remain sidelined when the Western Conference Finals resume Thursday night at San Antonio. Mitchell is listed as out on the Thunder’s official injury report with a right soleus (calf) strain, marking the third straight game he will miss since suffering the injury last Friday.
OKC’s offense struggled in Game 4 without Mitchell and Jalen Williams, who are two of the team’s primary ball-handlers. However, the Thunder posted 127 points in Tuesday’s Game 5, repeatedly pushing the tempo to create easier scoring opportunities.
Williams remains questionable due to left hamstring strain injury management, and his official status may not be determined until shortly before tip-off. He was a late scratch in Games 4 and 5.
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Coach Mark Daigneault was looking for an offensive spark when he opted to start Jared McCain instead of Cason Wallace, and the move seemed to shake the team from its malaise, states Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Although McCain got off to a slow start, his presence on the floor created more room for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, who combined for 15 first quarter points, Carlson notes. McCain finished with 20 points in 33 minutes in his first career playoff start.
- The Thunder got another dominant effort from their bench in Game 5, and their reserves are now outscoring San Antonio’s by a 257-127 margin for the series, according to Tim Willert of The Associated Press. “We have good players on our bench. They’ve got good players on their bench,” said Alex Caruso, who contributed 22 points and six assists in 28 minutes. “So, we know that’s an area of the game where you can try to find some positive plus-minus time for that group.”
- Daigneault often used smaller defenders against Victor Wembanyama during the regular season, but that task has mostly fallen to Isaiah Hartenstein in the playoffs, notes Ben Golliver of ESPN. Hartenstein’s physicality has bothered the Spurs star, who shot just 4-of-15 from the field on Tuesday.
- Holmgren, who turned in his best game of the series with 16 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes, talked to Fred Katz of The Athletic about his approach to basketball and the balance between individual and team success. “Ego has been the downfall of many people’s careers,” Holmgren said. “I feel like ego gets in the way of maximizing the moment and also understanding. Basically, what you’re asking me is, would I trade what we just accomplished last year and the opportunity that we have (this year) and the group that we have? Would I sacrifice that to go be able to shoot 20 shots a game? I don’t think so.”
Thunder Notes: Injuries, Game 4 Loss, SGA, Holmgren
The Thunder looked overmatched Sunday night without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, and they may need at least one of them to return to have a chance to beat the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Williams was downgraded to out with left hamstring soreness shortly before Game 4 tipped off, while Mitchell was ruled out Saturday night due to a strained right calf. There’s no indication yet on whether either player will be available when the series resumes Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
As Mussatto observes, OKC struggled to get good shots or even to hold onto the ball with two of their best play-makers sidelined. They shot 33% from the floor and 18% from three-point range and weren’t able to reach 80 points until Nikola Topic hit a garbage-time layup late in the game.
“I thought we left a lot to be desired on that end of the floor tonight,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them. And they were really good defensively.”
While the Thunder have experienced injuries throughout the regular season and playoffs, they’ve rarely had to survive without two of their best offensive initiators. In their absence, a huge burden fell on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was limited to 19 points by the Spurs’ smothering defense and missed nine of the 15 shots he took.
SGA didn’t get much help from his teammates as Alex Caruso was shut out, Luguentz Dort managed just two points and Jared McCain was 1-of-10 on a four-point night. The misfiring took place throughout the lineup with Cason Wallace going 2-of-8, Jaylin Williams 1-of-7 and Aaron Wiggins 2-of-11.
“I think it’s a snowball effect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you come out with the right energy, things like (missing two ball handlers) work out and the offense has flow. I don’t think we came out with the right energy today.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Gilgeous-Alexander talked about how to create more opportunities for Chet Holmgren, who had 10 points on eight shots Sunday night (video link from Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman). “Chet’s an easy target to find,” he said, “so probably just like find him more in the dunker, when he’s spacing, just put him in better positions to use his strengths as an offensive talent.”
- The Thunder are normally able to overwhelm opponents with their talent level, but that may not be possible for the rest of this series, states Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The inability to adjust to the absences of Williams and Mitchell and the poor response from so many players who were thrust into larger offensive roles took away the team’s normal cohesion throughout the game.
- Even though they got outplayed in Game 4, the Thunder have the solace of earning a split in San Antonio and returning to Oklahoma City with home-court advantage, notes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. The players understand that they’ll have to fight through adversity to get past the Spurs and return to the NBA Finals. “I think the biggest thing is we can’t rely on it being our best day to win basketball games,” Holmgren said. “We gotta figure out how to do whatever the game calls for for us to win games. We didn’t do it tonight. … We’ve done it in the past. We’ve had games where things didn’t go our way or shots weren’t falling, whatever it might be. We still figured out how to win the game, and that’s what we have to do.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Defensive Teams
The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links).
The teams are determined by a panel of 100 media members, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.
Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama was this season’s lone unanimous First Team pick, earning the maximum allowable 200 points after being named to the First Team by all 100 voters. DPOY runner-up Chet Holmgren fell short of being a unanimous pick, earning 93 First Team votes and four Second Team votes.
The honorees are as follows, along with their point totals (Twitter link):
First Team
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (200 points)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (190)
- Ausar Thompson, Pistons (166)
- Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves (151)
- Derrick White, Celtics (146)
Second Team
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (130)
- Cason Wallace, Thunder (94)
- Bam Adebayo, Heat (71)
- OG Anunoby, Knicks (67)
- Dyson Daniels, Hawks (50)
The All-Defensive teams have been positionless for the last three years. Previously, each team was required to have two guards, two forwards, and a center, but that’s no longer the case. This season’s First Team leans more heavily toward rim protectors, while the Second Team features a wider variety of guards and wings alongside forward/center Adebayo.
This year’s All-Defensive squads feature a number of first-time honorees. Holmgren, Thompson, Barnes, and Wallace had never previously been named to an All-Defensive team. Wembanyama (2024) and Daniels (2025) had earned First Team honors once apiece prior to this year, while Anunoby made a Second Team in 2023.
Gobert is the most accomplished of these defenders — the four-time Defensive Player of the Year has now made nine total All-Defensive teams and is an eight-time member of the First Team. Adebayo is also no stranger to All-Defensive recognition either, having now made two First Teams and four Second Teams. White, meanwhile, got a First Team nod for the first time after previously making the Second Team twice.
There are four players across the league who would’ve earned bonuses if they’d made an All-Defensive team, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), but none of them made the cut. That group includes Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, whose $500K bonus for All-Defense had been considered “likely” because he made the First Team in 2025.
That $500K will come off Dort’s cap hit this season and will reduce his 2026/27 team option by $500K to roughly $17.7MM, since the bonus is considered “unlikely” going forward. If Dort’s team option is exercised, his $500K bonus would continue to count for apron purposes next season despite not counting toward his cap hit, and he could still earn it if he makes an All-Defensive team next season.
Besides the 10 players who made All-Defense, 15 other players showed up on at least one ballot. That group was led by Spurs guard Stephon Castle (46 points), Rockets guard Amen Thompson (46), Warriors forward Draymond Green (40), and Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (28), each of whom was named to the First Team on between four and eight ballots.
Clippers guard Kris Dunn, who had 14 points, would have rounded out a hypothetical “third team.” Notably, his $5.7MM salary for 2026/27 would have become fully guaranteed if he had made an All-Defensive team. Still, it’s a pretty safe bet that Dunn will be retained through June 30, at which time his full salary will become guaranteed anyway.
The rest of the players who received All-Defensive votes, including Dort and former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, can be viewed here (Twitter link).
Thunder Notes: SGA, Caruso, Holmgren, Mitchell
The league’s two-time Most Valuable Player was disappointed by his performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points and 12 assists in 51 minutes during the Thunder‘s double overtime loss to the Spurs but he shot only 7-of-23 from the floor and committed four turnovers, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon notes.
“We just got to be better — me, in particular,” he said. “I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber. Nothing more than that.”
San Antonio focused its defense on containing SGA. They often double-teamed Gilgeous-Alexander while Victor Wembanyama sagged off spot-up shooters to protect the rim.
“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s just unfortunate that I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you’re your best version, sometimes you’re not. You’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Alex Caruso was the beneficiary of San Antonio’s strategy, erupting for 31 points. Caruso says his intensity ramps up in the playoffs. “I think that’s probably why I play better this time of year, because winning is of the utmost importance and it carries a lot more weight in the playoffs than it does during the season,” Caruso said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “It’s one of those things where you’re just trying to make whatever the play is and trying to win the game.”
- Chet Holmgren struggled throughout the season against the Spurs and that didn’t change in Game 1, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. In five games against the Spurs, Holmgren is averaging 10 points per contest on 37% shooting. That includes his eight-point output in Game 1, with both of his field goals coming on three-pointers. How can they get him more involved? “It’s a good question,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think the general attacks in the offense will benefit everybody, put everybody in advantages, including him. The playoffs to this point have been a lot of that for him. He’s been very effective, and I think it’s been downstream of us running good offense. It’s not like we’re pushing buttons for him, it’s more like an identity thing that is feeding everybody and he’s been in the middle of that. I think if we play better collectively, he’ll be more involved and we’ll be able to get more cracks offensively.”
- Ajay Mitchell averaged 22.5 points per game against the Lakers in the conference semifinals but only took five shots in Game 1 while scoring four points. The 2024 second-round pick contributed in other ways with five assists, four rebounds and two steals. “There was part of me that truly believed I was a first-round pick,” Mitchell said to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “But there was another part of me that was like, ‘Don’t forget where you come from.’ For me to even play in the NBA and get drafted was like a dream as a little kid. Being able to do it, I will never take it for granted. It was a little mixed [emotions]. I definitely wanted to show people I was worth a first-round pick. I am just really happy to be a part of this organization with an opportunity to get better. That was the main goal for me.”
Thunder Notes: SGA, MVP, Nash, Holmgren
After winning his second consecutive MVP award on Sunday, becoming just the fifth guard — and 14th overall player — in NBA history to accomplish the feat, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credited his family, friends, teammates, coaching staff, and everyone else who has helped him along the way, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
“There are so many people in my life who sacrificed for me to just play this game I love,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I would be doing them a disservice if I didn’t give it my all, and that’s really what it’s about. I’m making sure when I’m done and I hang these shoes up that I gave everything I had to the game. Whatever that looks like for me, I’ll live with. I’ll be more than pleased with what I got out of it.
“But the accolades and points and all of the stuff that’s cool on social media, none of that is what I’m after. I’m just making sure that while I’m doing this thing I’m giving it my all and I’m not wasting anybody’s time.”
The Canadian guard, who was selected 11th overall in the 2018 draft, bought all of teammates matching Burburry trench coats and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver watches, according to Martinez, who says those gifts were worth about $40K per person. All of his teammates were in attendance at the press conference.
“Thank you guys so much,” Gilgeous-Alexander said as he looked around at his teammates. “From setting screens to rebounding when I miss to passing me the ball even though I don’t pass you the ball, everything you guys do to make me a better player out there, I really appreciate you guys. Basketball is obviously a team sport. All of the numbers, all of the accolades and everything I do on the court, if we won 10 games, I wouldn’t be in this conversation. So thank you guys so much. I love you guys.”
Here’s more on the Thunder, who will host San Antonio on Monday for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals:
- Gilgeous-Alexander’s latest MVP trophy is yet another example of how fortunate Thunder fans have been over the last 18 years, says Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman (subscription required). Thunder players have now won four MVP awards over that span, while eight franchises — including the Pistons, who have been in the league for 77 years — have never had an NBA MVP. More importantly, the team has also had tremendous success during that time, with Gilgeous-Alexander helping lead the team to its first championship last June. The 27-year-old’s selflessness and team-first approach has elevated those around him, Carlson writes, and he ended his presser with a brief and serious message to his teammates. “We have a lot more work to do,” he said, rolling his index fingers around each other. “So after tonight, get back to work.”
- Steve Nash is another one of the aforementioned guards who won back-to-back MVPs. He helped present the award Sunday in his role with Prime video, with Gilgeous-Alexander later stating that Nash — another Canadian — was the first person to tell SGA was going to play in the NBA (video link via Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman).
- Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s MVP for the 2025/26 regular season, but Chet Holmgren has been Oklahoma City’s MVP through the first two rounds of the playoffs, contends Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). Holmgren, who was still dealing with the lingering effects of a fractured hip during the Thunder’s 2025 title run, has averaged 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals on .600/.387/.885 shooting through eight postseason games (31.4 minutes per contest). “It just seems like he’s around the basket more,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s finding more cracks, we’re finding him more … His decisiveness on the perimeter over time has smoothed. His shot-drive reads. His ability to move (the ball) quickly. And then we’ve talked about this a lot, but his versatility defensively. His ability to be impactful at the five, at the rim and also on the perimeter has unlocked a lot of options for us. The list is long, but it should be for a guy that’s as impactful as he is.”
Thunder Notes: Holmgren, Hartenstein, McCain, Mitchell
The Thunder‘s big man combination of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t get off to a promising start, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. OKC added Hartenstein in free agency in the summer of 2024 after being badly outrebounded by Dallas in the conference semifinals. but because of injuries to both players, they weren’t able to get on the court together until February of that season. When they did, Mussatto describes their fit together as “clunky.”
“The first couple games, we didn’t think it was really going to work out,” Hartenstein said.
At 7’1″, Holmgren had been a center all his life, but he moved to power forward to accommodate Hartenstein’s physical presence inside. Although the team was initially more effective using one big man at a time, they eventually figured out how to work together, leading the Thunder to the NBA title last year and a 6-0 mark in this year’s playoffs following a 64-win season.
Coach Mark Daigneault, who oversaw the partnership, always believed it would be successful.
“We were pretty confident it could work, because the goal is to get your best players on the court, and they’re two of our best players,” Daigneault said. “It’s our job to figure out how to make that work, and we have a team that dances with us on that. And ultimately their heart being in it is important. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing — if they’re not fully invested in it, it’s not gonna work.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Jared McCain has been a perfect addition to Oklahoma City’s backcourt since being acquired from Philadelphia at the deadline, Mussatto adds in another Oklahoman story. The second-year guard has posted career playoff scoring highs in the past two games, and his 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting on Thursday helped the Thunder pull away. “I just think there’s certain qualities a player has that resonate with this particular locker room,” Daigneault replied when asked about McCain’s ability to adapt to the team in midseason. “Professionalism is one of them. Commitment to your craft is another one. Competitiveness, the willingness to compete and the willingness to play inside of the team. If you do those things on this team, you earn pretty immediate respect.”
- Ajay Mitchell has scored 18 and 20 points in the first two games of the series while filling in for the injured Jalen Williams, per Mussatto and Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Williams is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain that has sidelined him since Game 2 of the first-round series with Phoenix, and he was ruled out for tonight’s contest.
- Meeting with reporters before Game 3, Lakers coach JJ Redick talked about the challenge of matching up with the Thunder’s depth, relays Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). “The (Nikola) Topic kid has dealt with some health stuff, and their rookie (Thomas Sorber) is dealing with coming back from his offseason surgery,” Redick said. “Literally the other 13 guys are all top seven or eight rotation players in the NBA on any team. So they can just hit you with bodies. Just the nature of how they built that team.”
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Edwards, Dosunmu, Thunder
After a somewhat shocking first-round exit, the Nuggets need to figure out what comes next. Part of that will revolve around finding way to generate offense outside of Nikola Jokic, Bennett Durando writes for the Denver Post.
While the three-time MVP struggled, producing the first series without a 30-point game in his career, Durando notes that Denver’s offseason additions failed to provide any offensive spark to jump-start the team and help get Jokic in rhythm. As a team, the Nuggets shot 32.1% on wide-open threes, and Bruce Brown had nine turnovers to 10 assists for the series.
“I think you have to look at the different formulas of how we played (offensively) this year, what was most successful,” head coach David Adelman said of the offense not translating from the regular season. “And you have to really break it down more so into the types of teams that we struggled with, and what are the answers there to make things flow better for us. And I think that takes time.”
The Nuggets will now have to figure out what comes next, and that includes considering options that might not have been on the table before, such as trading Jamal Murray, coming off the most successful regular season of his career, writes Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the second-round series against the Spurs, after missing Game 7 and being ruled week-to-week due to a hyperextended knee. Edwards has been doing constant rehab work and has told his teammates he expects to return at some point in the series, Jon Krawczynski writes for The Athletic.
- The Timberwolves lost Ayo Dosunmu in their close-out game over the Nuggets, and it’s unclear how soon he’ll be back. “Ayo is more day to day,” coach Chris Finch said, per Andrew Dukowitz (Twitter video link). “He went through things but just the light stuff.” Dosunmu was the hero of Game 4, scoring 43 points to lead the Wolves to a win without Edwards.
- The Thunder have built a culture that includes relationships with previous franchise mainstays, such as Serge Ibaka. Chet Holmgren spoke recently on how important that is. “I think it’s amazing. One, I think it speaks to the culture that those guys, Serge, still coming back around however many years since he left here,” Holmgren said, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (video link). “… It was cool to sit down and talk to Serge about some of his experiences in this exact building. It’s been fun.“
Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.
The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.
Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.
Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.
The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).
While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).
NBA Announces Finalists For 2025/26 Awards
The NBA has announced the finalists for this season’s major awards, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Clutch Player of the Year.
The MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year finalists were announced at halftime of the NBC broadcast of Game 1 between the Pistons and Magic, while the league’s official account tweeted the rest.
Most Valuable Player
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
The leaders of the three top teams in the Western Conference all have strong arguments for MVP. Jokic became the first player to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game while also averaging 27.7 points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31.1 PPG and led the Thunder to the league’s best record despite the fact that multiple starters missed substantial time this season. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game while emerging as a lock for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- VJ Edgecombe (Sixers)
This race is expected to come down to the former Duke teammates. Knueppel played a key role for a resurgent Hornets squad, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in made three-pointers while averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in 81 appearances. Flagg’s Mavs finished well out of the postseason picture, but he showed massive star upside, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG while scoring at least 42 points in four separate games. Edgecombe averaged 35.0 minutes per game over 75 contests, posting a well-rounded 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG.
Coach of the Year
- Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
- Mitch Johnson (Spurs)
Mazzulla and Bickerstaff each led massively overperforming teams that managed to dominate the Eastern Conference despite having players in and out of the lineup all year. Johnson helped navigate a tricky guard rotation and spacing issues as the Spurs posted the second-best record in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
- Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Ausar Thompson (Pistons)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite to win this award, ranking first in total blocks, blocks per game, defensive rating, and defensive rebounding percentage this season. Holmgren was second in blocks per game for the league’s top defense, while Thompson proved himself to be arguably the best perimeter defender in the league with his combination of off-ball defensive play-making and point-of-attack dominance.
Most Improved Player
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)
- Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Both Avdija and Duren were first-time All-Stars this season, while Alexander-Walker earned a starting spot on his new team and raised his scoring from 9.4 points per game last season to 20.8 PPG this season on .459/.399/.902 shooting splits, all career high percentages.
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Hardaway cracked 40% from three this season for the first time in his career while shooting 6.9 attempts in his 26.6 minutes per game. Most importantly for the injury-plagued Nuggets, he played 80 games, including six starts, and was the team’s fifth-highest scorer. Jaquez had an impressively well-rounded contribution off the bench, posting career-highs of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Johnson was a crucial scoring hub for the Spurs bench units while adding offensive pop when the starters struggled to score.
Clutch Player of the Year
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards ranked first and second, respectively, in clutch scoring per game, while Murray was second in total clutch points behind the Thunder star and shot the most efficiently from three of the guards.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points notes (via Twitter) that the awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks, starting with Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, April 20.