The NBA has officially announced three finalists for all major awards, and it doesn’t look like any Celtic player will be taking home individual regular-season hardwood this season. But one pretty important Celtic is likely to come away with a trophy.
Joe Mazzulla is named a Coach of the Year finalist
Mazzulla seems pretty likely to earn his first-ever Coach of the Year award. The fourth-year Celtics head coach is one of three finalists for the NBA’s highest coaching honors, along with San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson and Detroit Pistons
head coach JB Bickerstaff.
What is unlikely, however, is that Mazzulla will celebrate the win.
“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said last month. “I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”
Jaylen Brown was not named one of 3 MVP finalists
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Victor Wembenyama (San Antonio Spurs), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) were revealed as the three finalists for MVP. All three players have very strong cases.
- SGA averaged 31.1 points on 55% shooting and 6.6 assists per game.
- Jokić averaged 27.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9 assists per game.
- Wemby averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
Jaylen Brown, who had the best season of his career, was not named a finalist. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season.
Derrick White was not named one of 3 Defensive Player of the Year finalists
The NBA’s three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year were Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson, and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembenyama.
White averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game this season, both career-highs. Jaylen Brown has also stumped for him several times, saying that White has had a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season.
Neemias Queta was not named one of 3 Most Improved Player finalists
Neemias Queta had a strong case for Most Improved Player, but he was not selected as a finalist for the award. The league’s three finalists are Atlanta Hawks forward Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren.
Queta didn’t have the most conventional case, but he went from a fourth-string center to the starting center on one of the best teams in the league. He went from averaging 5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 13.9 minutes of playing time in the 2024-25 campaign to 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks this season. He also had the 5th-best net rating and 10th-best defensive rating in the NBA this year.
In a recent appearance on teammate Derrick White’s podcast “White Noise,” Queta weighed in on his case.
“I think I made a pretty good case for it,” he said. “And there’s always so much more I can get better at. I don’t get it this year, next year, it’s available again. That’s a good way to see it.”
Do you think any Celtic player deserved to be a finalist? Sound off in the comment section.
