On the eve of the 2021-22 NBA season, the crew at NBA 2K released their predictions!
Using their Season Simulation, NBA 2K played out the full season, crowning an NBA champion as well as some of the key end-of-season award winners, including a big one for an Aussie.
According to the simulation, Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles will be holding up the Sixth Man of the Year trophy come season end.
.@Joeingles7 will be the 6th man of the year this season based on our #2KSim results 🏀
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 17, 2021
Agree? pic.twitter.com/m5byAbFvzM
Ingles currently has the second-best betting odds to win the award, behind teammate and last season's winner Jordan Clarkson, who is in a strong position to go back-to-back after averaging 18.4 points in 68 games - all but one coming off the bench.
Meanwhile Ingles put up solid numbers across the board, tying his career-hgih with 12.1 points to go with 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Clarkson won the award with 65 first place votes, while Ingles finished second, tallying 34 first-place votes, with the final vote going 407 to 272 in Clarkson's favour.
According to the simulation, it's the favourites to win the championship, the Brooklyn nets who will walk away with the Larry O'Brien trophy, with Kevin Durant claiming Finals MVP.
The #2KSim has the @BrooklynNets taking it all with @KDTrey5 winning Finals MVP 🔮
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 13, 2021
Agree? pic.twitter.com/mxlLLNqrIP
Here's how the other big awards look according to NBA 2K.
Most Valuable Player - Kevin Durant
It's shaping up to be a big season for Kevin Durant. who would join a short list of legends to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
Only 10 players have achieved the feat — Willis Reed (1970), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), Moses Malone (1983), Larry Bird (1984, 1986), Magic Johnson (1987), Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998), Hakeem Olajuwon (1994), Shaquille O’Neal (2000), Tim Duncan (2003) and LeBron James (2012, 2013).
.@KDTrey5 is winning the season MVP this year according to the #2KSim 🔮
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 14, 2021
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/t6OzCoSh20
Rookie of the Year - Jalen Green
In the annual NBA GM survey, 47 percent of General Managers picked the Houston Rockets No. 2 overall pick to take home the award and the high-scoring guard has made his goal clear.
“The goal is to win rookie of the year and the fact that I didn't go No. 1 is certainly motivation,” Green said.
.@JalenGreen is winning ROTY 🏀 #2KSim
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 15, 2021
What will his 79 OVR Rating be by the end of the season? pic.twitter.com/Ek2D2hcgh2
Defensive Player of the Year - Bam Adebayo
Adebayo is developing into one of the best and most versatile defensive big men in the league, finishing 10th in Defensive Win Shares and seventh in Defensive Box Plus/Minus, per Basketball Reference.
Individually he is already elite and the Heat are going to be one of the meanest defensive teams in the league this season with Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, plus the additions of Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker in the off-season.
.@Bam1of1 is winning DPOY with his 92 Interior Defense Rating 🔒 #2KSim
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 16, 2021
Agree? pic.twitter.com/z87SH5pIgg
Most Improved Player of the Year - Michael Porter Jr.
It's been a big off-season for Michael Porter Jr., who inked a five-year, $207 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, coming off a season averaging 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
With point guard Jamal Murray sidelined with an ACL injury for at least the first half of the season, the door is open for MPJ to blossom as the Nuggets' No. 2 option on offence behind reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
MPJ's gonna get that rating way up this year 🚀
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) October 18, 2021
Agree that the #2KSim has him winning the Most Improved Player? pic.twitter.com/S2VlGhbh3A
The views on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the NBA or its clubs.
