It's that time of the year again in the NBA! With the NBA announcing the finalists for their major awards, discussions and debates are starting to heat up. Will Nikola Jokic win the MVP again, or can Joel Embiid snag his first trophy? Will a guard finally win Defensive Player of the Year. Who will win the Rookie of the Year award? Is Ja Morant an MIP favorite?

However, there's another debate that will likely rage on; the snubs. Which players and/or coaches were snubbed from the finalists list of NBA awards? Let's take a look at some of the most egregious exclusions from the finalist for the major NBA awards.

The most egregious snubs among NBA award finalists

Coach of the Year: Willie Green

Finalists: Erik Spoelstra, Monty Williams, Taylor Jenkins

This year's Coach of the Year finalists are from the three teams that have the best records in the NBA. Taylor Jenkins' bringing the Grizzlies to the second seed is the obvious front-runner, due to the shocking nature of it. Spoelstra and Williams bringing the Heat and the Suns, respectively, to the first seed despite their injuries is also worth mentioning.

However, there's another team turnaround that flew under the radar, one that is arguably more impressive than any of these three. Willie Green's New Orleans Pelicans started off at a rough 0-13 early on. That usually is a death sentence for any NBA team, especially one that didn't have their star player (Zion Williamson). But the Pelicans held on, making their way to the Play-In Tournament and the playoffs.

Green's work on the Pelicans should not be ignored. What he did for the team is impressive, especially considering the circumstances around them.

Defensive Player of the Year: Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo, Heat

Finalists: Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges

Over the last few days, talks about the Defensive Player of the Year award started gaining steam. The award has been historically dominated by big men, despite the number of elite perimeter defenders in the NBA over the years. This season is looking to be the start of a new era, as two perimeter players have cracked the finalists list for DPOY.

Mikal Bridges and Marcus Smart are two of the best lockdown defenders in the NBA today. Both players are big pieces to some of the best defensive outfits in the league. Alongside Rudy Gobert, the DPOY list looks to be solid this year. However, there's one notable omission to this list: Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo has quietly become one of the most versatile defenders in the league, and is a big reason for the Heat's success on defense this year. The Miami standout passes both the eye test and the stats, as he's one of the league leaders in defensive box plus-minus and defensive rating according to Basketball-Reference. His switchability and rim protection should warrant consideration among the league's best.

MVP: Devin Booker

Finalists: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo

For nearly the entire season, the NBA MVP race has revolved around three people only. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and former MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo are the leaders for the entire season. Therefore, it didn't come as much surprise to many when they were announced as the finalists for the award.

However, a particular player from the best team in the NBA was noticeably absent from the short-list: Devin Booker. The Phoenix Suns star had a marvelous 2021 season, as he's helped lead his team to the first seed in the West. He's averaging career-highs across the board, and he's been a major force for the team's success.

The Suns' success without him might have discouraged voters a bit (it was one of the biggest mid-season storylines, after all). His stats also pale in comparison to the three finalists' bonkers production. Still, it's a bit odd that the best player on the best team in the NBA isn't part of the MVP consideration list.

NBA Most Improved Player: Jordan Poole

Warriors, Jordan Poole, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant

Finalists: Ja Morant, Dejounte Murray, Darius Garland

The Most Improved Player trophy might be the most controversial award in the NBA. Since fans have different interpretations of the award, there are often debates surrounding who deserves to win. An example of that was Giannis Antetokounmpo once being hailed as both an MVP and MIP candidate in the same year.

This year, there's a similar debate going on surrounding Ja Morant. There's no denying that the Grizzlies star's play has improved vastly this year. However, many fans feel like other players deserve Morant's slot on the MIP conversation… such as Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.

Unlike Morant, Poole is a legitimate zero-to-hero story for the Warriors (something that has been traditionally the theme of the MIP award). After a quietly solid season last year, Jordan Poole stepped up to be one of the cornerstones of the Golden State Warriors offense. His exclusion on the MIP list has to be one of the worst snubs in NBA history, and his teammates have every right to be mad about it.

This is not a diss on Morant; the Grizzlies star has been one of the most electrifying players in the NBA today. However, his story this season doesn't fit the usual narrative of the NBA Most Improved Player, as he's already been established as a young rising star before this season.