Why Lakers’ Luka Doncic, JJ Redick didn’t deserve more votes for NBA awards

The NBA’s awards for the 2025-2026 season have been fully revealed after the Celtics’ Joe Mazzola on Tuesday became the youngest winner of the Coach of the Year award in more than 50 years.

Two of the California Post’s sports staffers, NBA reporter Melissa Rolen and Lakers reporter Hobie Price, received two of the 100 ballots that determine voting for each award — from MVP (Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and coach of the year to NBA MVP and defensive player of the year (Spurs’ Victor Wimpanyama).

Here’s an insight into their voting process:

1.) What led up to you being named MVP and how did you feel about Luka Doncic getting fourth place?

price: In terms of transparency, this is important to note It has Doncic third in the MVP balloting. So a fourth place finish is more than fair. Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the best player on the best team in the league, and had a historic season in itself when you consider his productivity, efficiency, and ability to lead the Thunder to a league-best 64-win season. He was the MVP all season, and it showed with his 83 first-place votes. It’s an awkward choice between Doncic, Wimpanyama and Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic at the No. 2-4 spots. Wembanyama has an argument for the league’s most impactful two-way player per minute. But the gap between total minutes played (1,866) compared to Doncic (2,289) and Jokic (2,265), and offensive impact/workload favored Doncic and Jokic even when it came to Wimpanyama’s defensive dominance. It was a tense choice between Doncic and Jokic for the No. 2 spot, but Jokic’s historic production, efficiency and dominance early in the season (he was the MVP before suffering an injury in late December) gave him a slight edge.

Rollin: There was a very strong field, and this was a difficult decision. Doncic had an exceptional season, and his statistics were astonishing, including an incredible career in which he averaged 37.5 points and led the Lakers to a 15-2 record. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the best team in the league, Victor Wimpanyama was an absolute force on both ends of the court, and Nikola Jokic put up numbers in video games. While Doncic had a great season, I think his fourth-place finish was fair. The Lakers had an up-and-down season before their spring promotion, and the competition for this award was incredibly deep.

2.) Why wasn’t JJ Redick on your Coach of the Year ballot?

price: And like Doncic, it has come to a very competitive field. It’s clear that Redick is already among the upper echelon of coaches. He led the Lakers to a 53-win season despite Doncic (18 games), LeBron James (22) and Austin Reeves (31) missing a combined 71 games, and the role player overhaul made Redick a worthy candidate for votes. But as I noted in my story following the unveiling of the voting results, coach of the year is often chosen based on which team has accomplished the most. The Celtics, led by Mazzola, the Pistons, led by J.B. Bickerstaff, and the Spurs, led by Mitch Johnson, were the team that won the most this season. And that’s before you get into the Hornets’ Charles Lee and Jordan Ott-Suns. But Redick is clearly on his way to becoming a great coach, if not a coach already, who should be considered moving forward.

Rollin: This was another difficult thing. Redick has solidified himself as a great coach this season. He made the Big Three of Luka Doncic, Austin Reeves and LeBron James share their roles, including making James, arguably the greatest player of all time, embrace being the team’s third offensive option. After Doncic and Reeves went down with injuries on April 2, he convinced the Lakers that everyone should believe in themselves, shocking the basketball world by winning a first-round series against the Rockets. Redick deserves a lot of credit, but the Celtics, Pistons and Spurs have also performed significantly beyond their expectations. The Celtics have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite missing Jayson Tatum for 66 games. The Pistons went from missing the playoffs last season to finishing with the highest record in the East. Spurs finished the season with the second-best record in the league, becoming a real powerhouse faster than anyone expected. Joe Mazzola was at the top of the ballot, followed by J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson. But that doesn’t take anything away from Reddick’s season.

3.) Was there any Lakers team that you felt should have been better represented in voting for any awards besides Player and Coach of the Year?

price: Not really when considering the time lost between Reeves and James. This is less about punishing players for injuries, and more about acknowledging the suppression of natural influence throughout the season compared to some of their peers.

Rollin: LeBron James’ streak of 21 consecutive NBA draft picks was broken this year due to the 65-game rule. That was a problem. At the age of 41, he once again challenged Father Time in his historic 23rd season. He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, and it’s a shame he wasn’t recognized for his incredible performance.

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4.) What award was the most difficult to vote for and why?

price: All-NBA, All-Rookie, and All-Defense teams are always tough, especially when it comes to each team’s final placings. But Rookie of the Year gave me the most fits this year. I voted for Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, but was back and forth between him and Hornets winger Kuhn Knoebel until the end of the regular season. Knueppel had a compelling case for his historic combination of three-point shooting, efficiency and impact on a Hornets team that won 44 games and made a championship. But Flagg got the edge because of his production, workload and overall impact even if it led to 26 wins for the Mavericks.

Rollin: Definitely the best player. I understand the frustration widely shared by players that the criteria for this award continues to advance. Sometimes the player with the best statistics wins this award. Sometimes it goes to the player who led his team to the best record. In some seasons, defense is a big factor. Others are not. None of this is fair in itself. This season, with stars Gilgeous-Alexander and Wimpanyama on the ballot, defense has been a big factor, hurting Doncic and Jokic. It’s difficult to weigh everything fairly and decide what to give weight when there are no distinct rules or descriptions for this award. Doncic led the league in scoring (33.5 points), came in third in assists (8.3) and sixth in steals (1.6). In another season, those numbers could have gotten him the award. But this season he finished fourth.

5.) Now that a few seasons have passed, how do you feel about the 65-game threshold for most jackpots?

price: It’s a step in the right direction, but it needs adjustment. Fifty-eight, or 70% of an 82-game season, is the number of games required to qualify for many of the league’s statistical leaders. This should also be the case for jackpots. I never understood why there were different qualifiers. Also add in the minutes-of-playing requirement (1,624, equivalent to 28 minutes per game, or 1,740, equivalent to 30 minutes per game) for players who may miss the 58-game mark but carry significant workloads for their teams in the games they play.

Rollin: Cancel it. Too many players were ruled out for awards due to legitimate injuries. This rule was intended to prevent load management and encourage player participation, but instead punishes players for things they cannot control and encourages them to put their bodies at risk to meet arbitrary eligibility.