The NBA will announce individual awards over the next several weeks and OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort is a contender for Defensive Player of the Year.

In a good year, there might three exciting awards races by the time we reach April in the NBA. There are often one or two. It's a function of the 82-game season. Favorites tend to pull away from the pack by the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Mark Daigneault has led the Thunder to a franchise-best 66 wins, an NBA-best 12.4 net rating and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. Ultimately, our voters see Atkinson's work on the sidelines being rewarded. Voting breakdown Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: 60% Draymond Green, Warriors: 40%