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.

The NBA will announce individual awards over the next several weeks and OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has a case to repeat as NBA Coach 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.