Golden State Warriors' Trio Featured in NBA Award Predictions

Currently sitting 10th in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors' underwhelming season isn't going to help individual players make their case for end of season awards.

Nonetheless, the Warriors have a trio of players in contention for major accolades as the NBA enters the last quarter of the season. Golden State hasn't had a player win a major regular season award since Draymond Green won Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.

Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski are each candidates for respective regular season NBA awards

The Warriors' best hopes of breaking the drought comes in the form of Stephen Curry. The franchise superstar was favorite for Clutch Player of the Year with Fanduel Sportsbook, but now sits second-favorite behind DeMar DeRozan.

In a recent article predicting all of the major NBA awards, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes had DeRozan winning Clutch Player of the Year. Curry was one of four players as an honorable mention, but it was another two-time MVP in Nikola Jokic who is predicted to finish second.

Curry is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained in the fourth-quarter against DeRozan and the Bulls. The 35-year-old has since missed the past three games, but could return against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

While Curry remains in strong contention for Clutch Player of the Year, teammates Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski are far greater outsiders in their candidacy for respective awards.

Kuminga earned an honorable mention for Most Improved Player, with Bulls' guard Coby White the predicted winner ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams as the runner-up.

The third-year forward has lifted his scoring from 9.9 to 16.1 points per game, while his rebounding is also up from 3.4 to 4.8 on average. Kuminga is shooting a career-high 52.9% from the floor, having developed into one of the most dangerous players in the league when attacking the rim.

Rookie of the Year has long been a two-horse race between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. While Wembanyama now has a firm grip on the award, Podziemski is among a host of rookies who could claim third behind the center duo.

Podziemski leads the Warriors in net rating, ranks third in rebounding, fourth in assists and fifth in three-point percentage. The 21-year-old's 27 minutes per game is also fourth on the team behind veterans Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Chris Paul.