With football season winding down, basketball is about to take center stage in the sports world. Only the NBA’s biggest fans have kept up with the season from the start and the MVP race. This is setting up to be one of the more interesting MVP races that we have seen recently. Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo ran away with the award in recent years and did not leave much room for debate. So far, this has been an interesting race between some of the game’s best players. This article is going to take a look at the top five MVP candidates at this point in the NBA season.
5. Rudy Gobert
There are some who will scoff at this suggestion and point to Gobert’s playoff failures in the past, but this is a regular-season award. The Utah Jazz once again has one of the best teams in the NBA and appears to be ready to challenge for an NBA championship. Gobert is known for his defensive prowess, and he is having another excellent season on that end of the floor. One of the criteria for the MVP race is being one of the best players on the best teams. Gobert is the most valuable player on the Jazz because the team would fall off defensively if he were not playing at the level that he is. It is a long shot that Gobert can make an actual run at the MVP award. However, he stands a good chance at landing on the All-NBA list and being a contender for defensive player of the year.
4. Kevin Durant
The next four spots in the MVP race are tricky. The margins between the top four on this list are razor-thin, and it would not be a shock to anyone if any of them claimed the award. Durant is listed fourth because he is not having the all-around season that the other contenders are. He is having one of the best scoring seasons of his career so far and has been unstoppable offensively. Durant has the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season after dropping 51 on Sunday night. He has consistently been one of the most unstoppable scorers in the league and has had to take on a bigger workload because of James Harden‘s continued struggles this season.
Brooklyn appears to be one of the top seeds for the Eastern Conference in the playoffs and make a finals run. However, one has to wonder if Kyrie Irving returns if that would hinder Durant’s opportunities at making an MVP run or not.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo has already won two MVP trophies, and he is looking to add to his collection this season. After a bit of a slow start, Antetokounmpo has started to round into form and look like the best player in basketball. The scoring numbers might not be as impressive as Durant, but Antetokounmpo has been a more well-rounded player this season. He might not only be making a case for NBA MVP but for defensive player of the year as well. Gobert might be the best presence in the paint in the NBA, but Antetokounmpo is not far behind, and he is a better perimeter defender as well. One thing that is noticeable about Antetokounmpo’s game this year has been his improvement as a passer. The best all-around player in basketball at the moment is probably Antetokounmpo, and it is hard to find anyone who will argue strongly against that.
2. Nikola Jokic
Jokic is going to get the slight edge over Durant and Antetokounmpo for one reason. He has to carry a team that has suffered injuries to its other two-star players. Not only is Jokic keeping this team in the hunt for a playoff spot, but he is putting up huge numbers every night. There might not be a more valuable player to his team right now in the NBA than Jokic. The numbers that Jokic has been putting up this season are absurd. He is currently averaging nearly 27 PPG, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. Jokic is also shooting close to 60% this season as well and 38% from the three-point range. The thing that could hold Jokic back is going to be the team’s record. Denver is unlikely to finish among the top half of the Western Conference, and that could be detrimental. If the Nuggets do finish among the best teams, this award should go to Jokic.
1. Stephen Curry
The MVP front-runner in the NBA is the best player on the best team. Curry is having one of the best seasons of his career, and they are on par with his MVP seasons in the past. Not to mention, Curry is about to become the all-time leader in three-point field goals made. It has been a bit of a surprise how good of a team that the Warriors have been up to this point. This is close to the same roster as last season, and Klay Thompson has not even returned yet. Curry has been a great all-around player for the team with the best record in basketball. That is always a great argument to be NBA MVP, and that might be all that Curry needs this season.
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