Candidacy for individual awards couldn't be further from the Portland Trail Blazers' minds as they prepare to host the Sacramento Kings. But just because Chauncey Billups, Damian Lillard and company are singularly focused on the task at hand doesn't mean Blazers fans have better ways to kill time before tipoff of Wednesday night's game than day-dreaming about their team's chances for end-of-season hardware.

Here's our assessment of where assorted Blazers stand in way-too-early races for potential individual awards as the season-opener dawns. All odds courtesy of DraftKings.

MVP — Damian Lillard (+1400)

Lillard's MVP case is an oddity compared to recent seasons.

If Portland overperforms expectations and manages to separate itself from a crowded upper-middle class in the Western Conference, nabbing home-court advantage in the first round, he will absolutely be a major part of the MVP conversation. But the Blazers' biggest improvement in that scenario would no doubt come on defense, where Lillard will always be more problem than solution. His per-game numbers could even take a dip if Portland reaches that peak, a byproduct of operating in Billups' more egalitarian system.

Would MVP voters, many of whom aren't exactly attuned to the context and nuance surrounding every NBA team, feel comfortable voting for Lillard under those parameters? It's easy to imagine many of them throwing him a top-five vote, a concession of sorts, while holding the candidacies of previous winners like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James in higher esteem.

Anything less than that level of team success, of course, would effectively render Lillard's case moot considering the likelihood his box score stats won't bump up to all-time levels. Maybe he could maintain stellar efficiency if afforded the historic usage previously owed to James Harden and Russell Westbrook in their MVP seasons, but Billups' offensive system ensures Lillard won't dominate the ball to that extent. As a result, his MVP odds—sixth-highest in the league at DraftKings—actually seem a bit high.

Defensive Player of the Year — Jusuf Nurkic (N/A)

Nurkic admitted late last season, while spearheading Portland's relatively stingy defense heading into the playoffs, that his ultimate career goal is to win Defensive Player of the Year. Achieving it isn't quite as outrageous as it seems given Nurkic's reputation on that side of the ball outside Rip City. The Blazers have allowed at least two fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor in every full season of his career, including 2020-21, when Nurkic's net defensive rating was -9.7—in the 97th percentile among all players, per Cleaning the Glass.

The reality is that an unspectacular eye test and underwhelming counting stats compared to his top competition for Defensive Player of the Year are almost certain to keep Nurkic from serious contention. Even Portland morphing into a borderline top-10 defense this season wouldn't cinch his candidacy given how much better this team's personnel is on that side of the floor compared to a year ago. Would it even be all that surprising if bench units featuring Cody Zeller or small-ball lineups with Larry Nance Jr. at center fared better defensively than the Blazers' starters?

That possibility combined with Portland's low defensive ceiling—not to mention his own questionable fit in Billups' aggressive scheme—lends credence to Nurkic not even registering preseason odds for Defensive Player of the Year.

Sixth Man of the Year — Larry Nance Jr. (N/A), Anfernee Simons (+6500)

It's a ridiculous oversight for Nance not be to included in DraftKings' futures for Sixth Man of the Year. Bigs with his playing profile rarely seriously contend for the award, with voters annually wooed by high-scoring guards regardless of efficiency and overlooking defensive impact. But if the Blazers scrape their peak in 2021-22, it will be because Nance provided the layered two-way impact off the bench previously offered by perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidates like Andre Iguodala with the Golden State Warriors and Taj Gibson with the Chicago Bulls.

Simons' case is more of a longshot despite his registered odds, which sit below Carmelo Anthony's but above Danilo Gallinari's. Even if he lives up to training camp hype and establishes himself as a three-level scorer who's comfortable running the show, minutes will probably keep him from putting up the raw numbers needed to contend for Sixth Man. With Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell firmly ahead of him in Portland's perimeter pecking order, Simons just won't get the combination of playing time and shot-taking freedom that propelled Jordan Clarkson to the award last season.

Most Improved Player — C.J. McCollum (+8000), Jusuf Nurkic (+10000)

Frankly, the Blazers don't have a viable candidate for Most Improved Player this season.

The same factors that will almost certainly keep Simons from competing for Sixth Man also apply here. Hopes of Nassir Little's strong offseason translating to a true breakout campaign were tempered by his rough play in the preseason opener and a hamstring injury that's sidelined him ever since. Even if Simons and Little really have taken the strides their teammates suggested throughout training camp, their offensive roles just won't be big enough to put up numbers that would garner consideration for Most Improved Player.

McCollum seems the likeliest of the Blazers long-shot bets. He might have won MIP last season if his career-best start wasn't upended by a broken foot, and could see an uptick in efficiency this season while playing more off the ball. Keep an eye on McCollum's three-point rate; he won't be in the running for this award unless it reaches pre-injury levels of last season.

Nurkic's candidacy at least deserves mentioning, but not for the reason that would get voters most excited. His value in 2021-22 will come most on defense and as a playmaking hub from the elbows and top of the key, offseason talk of additional touches down low be damned. Maybe the Blazers really are much better defensively this season, and his passing chops feature more prominently in an offense that's no less dominant but far more versatile. Even in that optimized world, though, Nurkic taking most Improved Player would still be a major departure from past winners who made significant strides as scorers while their careers were clearly on the come-up.

Coach of the Year — Chauncey Billups (+3000)

Early vibes from Media Day and training camp made the possibility of Billups winning Coach of the Year during his rookie season on the sidelines more realistic. Even now, after an ugly quartet of preseason performances, Portland seems much more committed and connected than they were last season under Terry Stotts. Those exhibition games have definitely blunted optimism heading into the regular season, though, with Billups even mentioning that the Blazers are “much farther away than we thought” following the preseason finale.

Even so, the path to Billups winning Coach of the Year is clear: Fifty wins and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That level of success seemed more likely a week ago, let alone two. But Portland certainly has the talent to outperform expectations as long as its two-way execution gets up to par quickly, a narrative that would no doubt resonate with voters given Lillard's summer wavering and Billups' playing past.