Predicting the next NBA champion and major award winners

With the 2022-23 NBA season mere hours away, theScore's NBA staff boldly predicts which teams will be the last left standing and who'll be in line for individual silverware after the campaign.

Eastern Conference finals

Confidence in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks is clearly sky-high heading into this season. Mike Budenholzer's side appears on all seven of our East finals picks, with six tabbing it to emerge as Eastern Conference champions for the second time in three seasons.

The Philadelphia 76ers are the only other team predicted to represent the East in the Finals, though they're a more popular choice as runners-up to the Bucks. Despite their sudden coaching change, the Boston Celtics are also picked to make an East finals appearance. Notably, no one backed the star-studded Brooklyn Nets to make the East finals.

Western Conference finals

No one felt strongly about reigning NBA champions the Golden State Warriors getting a chance to defend their crown. Voters are split between the replenished Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, who'll benefit from the returns of Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray, respectively, from season-long absences due to ACL tears.

The Warriors did get one vote to make the conference finals, at least. However, the fallout from Draymond Green's recent punch to Jordan Poole in practice casts significant doubt on Golden State's season outlook.

Finals

The Bucks kept things simple this offseason, retaining nearly their entire roster without making any massive signings - Joe Ingles was their biggest addition, but he likely won't feature until the new year due to injury. That continuity proved influential, as Milwaukee was penciled in on five of seven ballots to win it all in 2023.

Some backed the Clippers and 76ers to end their considerable droughts. L.A. has never made the Finals, while the 76ers last claimed the title in 1983. Interestingly, no one who tabbed the Nuggets to make the Finals picked them to win.

15th seeds

With fantastic young talents like Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson the potential "prizes" for winning the draft lottery, expect some sides to do all they can to increase their odds. In the East, the rebuilding Indiana Pacers are most anticipated to have the worst record, followed by the Charlotte Hornets. The Orlando Magic, who surprised many by selecting Paolo Banchero after winning the 2022 lottery, also received a nod.

There's more of a consensus in the West, with the San Antonio Spurs expected to come in last after trading rising guard Dejounte Murray. The Utah Jazz, fresh from shipping away both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, are also a contender for the worst record, and you can never really count out Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Rookie of the Year

Banchero, this season's No. 1 pick, is the popular choice for the Rookie of the Year award considering the low-pressure environment he should find himself in with Orlando.

After a sensational summer league, the Sacramento Kings may have found their own gem in Keegan Murray. The former Iowa star was named the offseason competition's MVP after averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, two assists, and 1.3 steals across four games, and he looks ready to help end the Kings' dire 16-year playoff drought.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith, who was long presumed to be the first overall pick until the Magic's last-minute Banchero pick, should also have plenty of opportunity to stake his own claim for the award.

Coach of the Year

Four of our picks back a bench boss hoping to exceed expectations with a relatively young squad. The New Orleans Pelicans are banking on Willie Green to inspire a team boosted by the return of Zion Williamson. J.B. Bickerstaff, Nate McMillan, and Chris Finch are aiming to navigate rejuvenated rosters on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively, who each made a hefty offseason trade for a star.

While the Clippers' Tyronn Lue has a star-heavy squad, he'd certainly be in the running if L.A. can stay healthy and dominate the regular season.

Executive of the Year

Tim Connelly and Daryl Morey earn three selections apiece following their busy summers.

Connelly, just months after taking over as Timberwolves president, swung for the fences by acquiring defensive specialist center Rudy Gobert from the Jazz. Though slightly more subdued, Morey's offseason was also productive. He convinced star James Harden to delay his new deal and take a pay cut, allowing Philadelphia to add P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, and sent relatively little to the Memphis Grizzlies for De'Anthony Melton.

Most Improved Player

Our selections for one of the hardest individual honors to predict were all over the place. However, they do feature an abundance of third-year players, with only De'Aaron Fox (six) and De'Andre Hunter (four) set to have more years of service in the NBA once the season gets underway.

Defensive Player of the Year

New Timberwolves star Gobert is favored to earn the award for the fourth time in 10 campaigns, which would tie him with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most ever.

Sixth Man of the Year

Another difficult one to predict, Sixth Man of the Year is unique in that a runaway candidate in the first half of the season can quickly become ineligible if he's added to the starting lineup for the rest of the year. Jordan Poole, Christian Wood, and Malcolm Brogdon each received two picks to impress in reserve roles all season long. Wood and Brogdon are interesting candidates - both were full-time starters in 2021-22 but are expected to come off the bench for new teams this season.

Most Valuable Player

Finally, the main attraction. Our MVP selections came down to just three different superstars, though only Giannis Antetokounmpo, who owns the slightest of edges with three votes, has previously won the accolade. Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid are no strangers to the conversation, but have yet to do enough to convince voters.

Arguably just as important as who's on the list is who isn't. The most glaring omission is two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Only Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird have ever won MVP in three consecutive seasons, and the Nuggets center isn't favored to join them.