Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:

NBA Insider

Most teams, including the Nuggets, will play their 41st game of the season this week.

Here are my major award winners at the midway point:

Most Valuable Player

This has become a two-man race between Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous- Alexander — and for good reason.

Despite injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren at different points of the season, the Thunder are running away with the No. 1 seed behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s two-way impact. He’s averaging 31.4 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, two steals and 1.1 blocks.

The Nuggets aren’t off to an impressive start, but Jokic’s numbers make their own case. The three-time Most Valuable Player is averaging 31.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.8 steals and .6 blocks per game.

Denver’s net rating is 23 points higher with Jokic on the court than when he rests. That’s on pace for the second-best mark in NBA history. We’ll use that as the tiebreaker even though Gilgeous-Alexander is a slight favorite in Vegas.

Our pick: Jokic

Rookie of the Year

Let’s look to Memphis.

The Grizzlies have two of the three favorites, and Memphis’s first-year players are doing it in games that matter.

Alexandre Sarr is putting up comparable numbers in Washington, but Memphis’s duo is doing it in games that matter. Jaylen Wells, a second-round pick out of Washington State, has started 34 games for the Grizzlies and averages 11.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range.

Zach Edey, Memphis’s pick at No. 9, hasn’t been as available, playing in 25 of the Grizzlies first 39 games. He’s posting 10.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1 assist per game. Both players look likely to be in the Grizzlies’ starting five as Memphis pushes toward a top-four finish in the Western Conference, but Wells has been more impactful to this point.

Our pick: Wells

Defensive Player of the Year

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Memphis’s Jaren Jackson Jr. are worthy candidates, but no player has been as impactful on the defensive end as Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio’s second-year disruptor entered Monday’s slate averaging 4 blocks per game. Utah’s Walker Kessler is second at 2.5 blocks per game. Wembanyama’s rare blend of size and length also makes opponents second guess any shot around the rim. Wembanyama is also averaging one steal per game. He’s already had one game with 10 blocks and another with five blocks and five steals.

Those kinds of nights are only going to become more common as he gets more NBA experience.

Our pick: Wembanyama

Most Improved Player

Detroit is on track to be a play-in team, and there’s one reason for that.

His name is Cade Cunningham. The 23-year-old is taking the leap to superstardom in his fourth NBA season. His scoring is up to 24.2 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 37.8% on 3s with all those figures on pace to set career-highs. His 9.5 assists and 6.7 rebounds would also be the best marks of his young career.

Most important, he’s leading the Pistons, a team that had the worst record in the league last year at 14-68, to relevance.

Mobley and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson also deserve consideration, but something big must change to prevent Cunningham from winning the award.

Our pick: Cade Cunningham

Sixth Man of the Year

This is the only other award a Nugget has a chance of winning.

Players must come off the bench in more games than they start to be eligible. So far, Russell Westbrook has started 17 games and come off the bench in 21 other games. He could end up on the wrong side of that equation if the Nuggets stick with him in the starting lineup.

Bradley Beal’s demotion to the bench could also throw a wrench into things.

As it stands, Boston’s Payton Pritchard and Atlanta’ De’Andre Hunter are the favorites. Hunter has the better numbers at 19.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 assist per game to Pritchard’s 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assist per game. Pritchard’s on the better team, but Hunter’s had a bigger impact.

Our pick: Hunter

Coach of the Year

This award might already be on its way to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers, with a roster that looks a lot like last season’s 48-34 squad, are off to one of the best starts in NBA history at 33-5 under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson. Cleveland started the year on a 15-game win streak and still boasts the league’s best offensive rating (121.2) and ninth-best defensive rating (110.6).

As long as the Cavaliers don’t implode in the second half of the season, the award should be his. If Cleveland falls off significantly, Houston’s Ime Udoka, Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley and Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault will get long looks from voters.

Our pick: Atkinson

What I’m Thinking

The Nuggets should be extremely cautious with Aaron Gordon for the next few weeks.

Gordon made his return to Denver’s rotation Sunday after missing nine games with a right calf strain. It’s the second time this season the injury has forced him out of action for an extended stretch. As a result, Gordon has played in just 18 of Denver’s first 38 games. He said he was comfortable being eased back into his regular workload after Sunday’s game.

It didn’t look like Gordon missed much of a beat in his return. He made 6 of 7 shots for 13 points and added six rebounds, two steals and a block. The Nuggets won Gordon’s 18 minutes by 23 points.

As encouraging as that is, ramping up Gordon too quickly comes with far more risk than reward. Keeping Gordon in a bench role for the next couple of weeks makes it easier for Michael Malone to keep his minutes in check. It also delays a decision on who exits the starting lineup — either Russell Westbrook or Christian Braun — once Gordon is fully up to speed.

The Nuggets are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including a 6-3 mark without Gordon. That’s good for fourth in the Western Conference heading into Tuesday’s game in Dallas. As long as Denver can hold onto its current win rate, there’s no reason to rush.

What They’re Saying

A couple of all-time greats paid homage to Jokic after Sunday’s game against the Mavericks. Jokic finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.

“If he does miss, he finds a way to come up with that offensive rebound and put-back. It’s just something that we’ve got to get better at, understanding he’s the best in the world,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd, a 10-time All-Star during his playing days. “We’ve got to try to take something away, but tonight he was able to pass and score.”

Klay Thompson has seen his fair share of talents since he was drafted in 2011.

“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played against, three-time MVP who puts up video game-like numbers not only in the NBA but in the international game as well,” Thompson said. “Nikola will go down as one of the best big men to ever play this game, and that’s elite company he’ll be in. There’s not many centers who do what he does. He might be the best center I’ve played against in my career, if I think about it. … Yeah.”

What I’m Following

—Shane Hennen, a 39-year-old Las Vegas resident, was arrested Sunday at Harry Reid International Airport for his involvement in a betting operation that involved Johntay Porter, brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. Jontay previously plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in July.

—The Lakers and Clippers resumed their seasons Monday. The two Los Angeles teams got a few days off during the catastrophic wildfires. The Clippers last played Wednesday in Denver, without Kawhi Leonard who returned to Los Angeles to help evacuate his family. Lakers coach JJ Redick’s family lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fire.

—Anthony Edwards sent another check to the NBA. This time, the Timberwolves’ star was fined $50,000 for making an inappropriate gesture toward an official during Saturday’s game. All in all, Edwards has paid nearly $300,000 in fines for an assortment of violations this season.

—Despite getting approval from Philadelphia’s city council, the 76ers have decided against building a downtown arena that would cost a reported $1.3 billion. The 76ers and Flyers, of the NHL, will instead play in a new arena in south Philadelphia, starting in 2031.

The List

The remaining strength of schedule rankings hold good and bad news for the Nuggets. The good news is Denver has one of the easiest remaining schedules, per Tankathon’s ranking that combines future opponents’ win percentage. The bad news is it’s going to be really hard for anyone to catch Oklahoma City. Here are the Western Conference teams with the easiest remaining schedules and their opponents’ win percentage.

1. Golden State Warriors, .484

2. Oklahoma City Thunder, .485

3. Nuggets, .499

4. Los Angeles Lakers, .500

5. Minnesota Timberwolves, .501