With the NBA’s All-Star weekend upon us, let’s discuss the favorites to win the league’s signature awards for the 2020-21 season.

At the unofficial midway mark of the shortened season, here are selections for the midseason Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid has spearheaded the Philadelphia 76ers (24-12) to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The 7-footer is registering career-highs in points (30.2), field goal percentage (52.1) and 3-point percentage (41.6). He leads the NBA in free throw attempts per contest (11.6).

Embiid has tallied 11.6 rebounds per night. An elite defender, Embiid has guided the 76ers to the fifth-best defensive rating (108.6) in the NBA.

To best accentuate Embiid’s impact on the East-leading 76ers, one can simply look at the club’s record in games he plays and those he does not suit up for. The 76ers are 23-7 when Embiid suits up, but just 1-5 without him in the lineup.

Runner-up: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Rudy Gobert could be in line to win his third NBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award. Among the best rim protectors, Gobert is logging a career-best 2.7 blocks per night.

The Jazz rank fourth in defensive rating and points allowed. Gobert is such a dominant presence in the paint that he makes his teammates better defensively.

In addition to providing strong help defense, Gobert is among the NBA’s best isolation defenders.

If Gobert were to snag another DPOY, he would become the fourth player in NBA history to win the prestigious award three or more times. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won the award a record four times, while Dwight Howard has claimed the honors three times.

Runner-up: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Most Improved Player: Julius Randle, New York Knicks

Seemingly out of nowhere, the New York Knicks look playoff bound. First-year head coach Tom Thibodeau deserves plenty of credit for transforming the Knicks into the NBA’s top defensive club. However, forward Julius Randle is at the forefront of the franchise’s stunning revival.

Randle is producing career bests in points (23.2), rebounds (11.1), and assists (5.5). A year after shooting a dreadful 27.7 percent from downtown, Randle is knocking down a career-high 40.8 percent of his triples.

Randle earned his first All-Star nod, selected as a reserve by the coaches. He has the Knicks on pace to reach the postseason for the first time since 2013.

Runner-up: Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons

Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz

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Jordan Clarkson is the NBA’s leading bench scorer, posting 17.9 points per contest. The combo guard has accumulated 646 total bench points—141 more than any other player.

Providing instant offense with Utah’s reserves, Clarkson is the second-leading scorer on the Jazz. He is a lights-out free throw shooter, making an NBA-best 96.7 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Runner-up: Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls

Rookie of the Year: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball has managed to surpass the expectations of Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, who lauded the rookie’s ability to adjust to the NBA. It’s not hard to see why Jordan is impressed by the first-year point guard. Among rookies, Ball is the leader in points (15.8), assists (6.3), rebounds (6.0), and steals (1.6) per contest.

The 19-year-old made history early in his career, becoming the youngest player to produce a triple-double. Ball was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February, after earning the same recognition for the month of January.

Ball has shined in the starting lineup. In 15 starts, he’s posting per-game clips of 20.6 points, 6.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

Runner-up: Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings

Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz holds the NBA’s best record with a 27-9 mark under the tutelage of Quin Snyder. Utah is the only team that ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Snyder was selected as Western Conference Coach of the Month in February, becoming the first coach in Jazz history to earn the award in back-to-back months. In fact, he is the only Jazz coach to win the award twice in the same season.

A year after losing in the first round of the playoffs, the Jazz looks like true contenders in the Western Conference. If Snyder can keep the Jazz at top of the league standings, he will be the odds-on favorite to take home NBA Coach of the Year honors.

Runner-up: Doc Rivers, Philadelphia 76ers