Tim Reynolds: Jokic wins, Embiid 2nd, Curry 3rd. Derrick Rose got an MVP first-place vote. League source tells AP it was not from media; it was the consensus fan vote. And LeBron James’ streak continues: 18 years with at least one MVP vote.
More on MVP Race
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the recipient of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today. With the first Kia NBA MVP Award of his career, Jokić becomes the first player to earn the honor as a member of the Nuggets. He is also the first player from Serbia to be selected as the NBA MVP and joins Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) as MVP winners from Europe.
Jokić received 91 first-place votes and earned 971 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters as well as the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award fan vote, making for 101 ballots. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (586 points) finished in second place, followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (453 points) in third place, Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo (348 points) in fourth place and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (139 points) in fifth place.
Michael Singer: Via the #Nuggets MVP press release: Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets in total points, rebounds and assists for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player in NBA history to accomplish this feat.
Michael Singer: Via Monte’s IG.
Bobby Marks: By virtue of winning MVP, Nikola Jokic is now eligible to sign a super max contract in either the 2022 or 2023 offseason. Jokic is not eligible this offseason because he is 1 year shy of the years of service criteria of 7.
Bobby Marks: The Nikola Jokic super max extension in 2022 is projected to be the largest contract in NBA history. *2023-24: $42.6M 2024-25: $44.9M 2025-26: $48.2M 2026-27: $51.5M 2027-28: $54.8M Total of $241M *Based on a salary cap of $121.5M
Michael Singer: When I was reporting the "Improbable MVP" story, his coach, agent & godfather were all dying to know when MVP would be announced. They've been anticipating this moment ever since the reg. season ended & have been so eager to celebrate. I texted one of them. Their response: 🍷
Marc Stein: Denver's Nikola Jokic will be formally announced as the league's MVP on TNT tonight at 7:30 PM ET, sources say.
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Doc Rivers on Jokic winning #NBA MVP: 'There's so many great players in our league. I think the deciding factor was games played (Embiid missed 21).'
George Karl: Congrats to the Joker. Special special player! First hoops MVP in Denver since ‘70 when @Spencer Haywood won it with the Rockets!!
Nikola Jokic was named league MVP, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post, becoming the lowest draft pick to ever win the award and the first Nuggets player ever to do so. The former record-holders were Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steve Nash, both chosen No. 15 overall. The Nuggets selected Jokic with the No. 41 pick of the 2014 draft.
Shams Charania: Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has won the 2020-21 NBA MVP award, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Michael Singer: Nikola Jokic on Damian Lillard: “He’s up there in that conversation for MVP.” “... I think neither him nor I are thinking about that (individual award).” (Lillard told @Sam Amick he thinks Jokic the is the MVP).
So on that front, how do you see this Nuggets matchup. No Jamal (Murray). They have (Will) Barton with the hamstring issue, and I’m not sure if he’s going to be out there. You have some history with them, and they’re trying to keep it going after losing a pretty important player. What’s your view of the series? Damian Lillard: I mean, they’re not at full strength but a wounded animal is the most dangerous animal. I’m not going into here even thinking about who’s not on the floor, because the MVP of the league is on the floor. They’ve got a lot of talent. Sam Amick: Does he deserve it? Sorry to cut you off, but you know people are going to be curious how you see it. Damian Lillard: I mean, I don’t think he’s missed a game this entire season.
Damian Lillard: But I think when you really look at it, and you see that Jokic has played in every game and he’s dominated the way he has, they’ve had injuries with so many guys out and missed games and he’s kept them rolling. He’s kept them where they are. And Embiid has missed a lot of games. And even when he got hurt, they just kept going, you know? So I would say Jokic. But yeah, I’m not going into the series worried about injuries or nothing. They’re still a great team. We’re going to have our hands full either way.
So do you feel like if Steph’s in (the conversation) then you should still be there too? Damian Lillard: I mean, I don’t go tit-for-tat. I just call it like I see it. I think Steph has had a great season. Obviously, there has to be a conversation about him being in the conversation. But I don’t think he wins it. At the eight seed, I just don’t see how that works. Last year, it was people like (ESPN’s) Stephen A. (Smith saying) ‘Man, I love what Dame is doing but he can’t be the MVP because they’re the eighth seed.’ You know what I’m saying? But last year, I averaged 30 points and eight assists on 46 (percent) from the field, 40 from the three-point line and 90 from free throw (it was actually 88.8). But last year, they’re like, ‘Man, we can’t consider him an MVP because they’re the eighth seed.’ And now it’s like it’s ok. For me, that’s the way that I’m looking at it. (Curry) is definitely in the conversation. There’s no way that you don’t have him in the conversation.
The Jump: "It's been very motivating for him and uplifting for him. He's definitely the MVP on this team and in this league. He's had the better year" —@Draymond Green on @Stephen Curry's season #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #DubNation
Melissa Rohlin: Steph Curry on LeBron James: "He knows when he says something people pay attention, so for him to speak on my MVP candidacy, I respect him for it, I appreciate it." He added: "I won't be giving him a pass because he likes the way I play this year and vice versa."
Draymond Green: "Because what I’m not going to do is just go out there and let him down. S---, in my opinion, he’s the MVP. So for him to be having an MVP type of year, you can’t just go out there and let go of the rope. You’ve got to get your ass out there and f------ help all you can to help win games to make sure that he’s in that conversation, because he deserves to be in that conversation. So his approach, one thousand percent, has helped me in my approach."
So go down that MVP road a little bit. Put your TNT hat on and give me the breakdown on how you see it. Most folks have (Denver’s Nikola) Jokic out front, but you obviously see it differently. Draymond Green: "Well, I think Joker is having an incredible year. I think he’s amazing. I think their team is having an incredible year, and obviously with (the Nuggets’) Jamal Murray going down, he’s kept that team afloat. And so, you’ve got to give him a lot of credit. But you saw the Warriors play last year, right?"
Draymond Green: "[Last season] was really rough. (And) there wasn’t a ton of turnover from last year’s roster to this year’s roster, yet we’re 37-33. Why is that? Steph Curry’s playing. Steph Curry’s playing. And the word MVP is an acronym for Most Valuable Player — Most Valuable Player. I think at times — a lot of times – it’s looked at as “Who’s scoring the most? Who’s putting up the best stats?” This, that and the other. And it’s not always given to the most valuable player. Well, Steph is obviously leading the league in scoring. But look at his value. Look at what he’s done to take a team that won 15 games last year and to have us right there in the hunt for the playoffs. And if I’m not mistaken, Russell Westbrook won MVP (in the 2016-17 season) and they were the seventh or eighth seed."
Draymond Green: "That’s my point, and that’s how I’ve been looking at this thing, is like there’s no rule that says you can’t be an eighth seed and win the MVP because Russ has done it. Now in saying that, I personally thought that year that Russell deserved to be the MVP. So I had no problem with him winning the MVP because I actually thought he f------ deserved it. That OKC team he was on was horses---. Complete horses---. And he carried that team to the playoffs while going out and averaging a triple double, completely destroying every team that he played against. I thought he deserved to be the MVP. Why? Because he was so valuable to that team that he got that team to the playoffs while averaging a triple double. You’re damn right he deserved to be the MVP."
Michael Singer: There's this weird narrative that Nikola Jokic won't lean into the MVP race, when yest., on the record, he finally put himself out there: "I can just say that this season is probably the best season I've had in my life." On MVP, he went even further: "If it happens, it happens."
Brian Lewis: Steve Nash: "Clearly Jokic is the MVP this year." #Nuggets #Nets
StatMuse: When Nikola Jokic is officially announced as MVP, it would mark the third straight season where we have an international MVP. It would be the second time that’s happened in NBA history — Steve Nash (2x) and Dirk Nowitzki in 2005-07. It’s a global game. pic.twitter.com/ywRQuKv12P
“Historically speaking, he would be the worst MVP we've had in 35 years." - Nick Wright on Nikola Jokic. Man facepalming
Jamal Murray: Nick Wrong lol
Brady Hawk: Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler, "I think if we had a complete year...Jimmy Butler would have to be in that conversation for MVP." Mentions the early inconsistencies with players and rotations when referring to the lack of a "complete year"
The Jump: Significance of @New York Knicks turnaround this season? "We had to make a commitment to play for each other and to work hard. Julius Randle has had an MVP type season" —Thibodeau #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/6K1WoNvdm8
Asked about the recent MVP talk, Randle said: “For sure, I’m not going to shy away from it. For me, it’s about getting better from game to game, improving as a player. I’m not focused on it. The praise obviously is great and everything but I’m not focused on it. All I’m worried about is getting better, keep leading the team game to game. Our team, I feel like we can compete against anybody.” They have proven that across April and now early May, but the final four games of this trip will be the tell-all – the Nuggets, Suns, Clippers and Lakers with LeBron James.
Randle is averaging 24.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists and shooting a remarkable 42.7 percent from 3-point range. A little better passer, Jokic is averaging 26.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists and shooting 40.9. percent from 3. “I’d put him at the top as well,” Gibson said of Randle. “You look at the body of work Julius has put together on a night-to-night basis. Being really professional, especially in a tough market. People understand how tough it is to play in New York and bringing a winning mentality back to the Knicks. Julius has earned credit for the MVP race. He deserves it.”
Harrison Wind: Malone: "I think the fact that we have played as well as we have without Jamal is just another endorsement of Nikola Jokic's MVP candidacy. To put a team on his back. To be a top-10 offense and defense without Jamal Murray. That has been really fun to watch."
Ryan Ward: NBA MVP odds as of today, via @betonline_ag (LeBron's odds have changed drastically): Nikola Jokic 1/12, Joel Embiid 13/2, Stephen Curry 18/1, Giannis Antetokounmpo 25/1, Damian Lillard 40/1, Luka Doncic 40/1, LeBron James 60/1 (was 10/1)
Take a regular, 82-game season. It’s widely accepted that a player should play in about 75% of games – at least 62 games – to be considered. Bill Walton won MVP with the fewest games played – just 58 of 82 games in 1977-78. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid has played in 45 of his team's 64 games, and if he plays in the remaining eight games, he will have played in 73.6% of Sixers games. Embiid is an MVP favorite. But where does that leave Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James? His chances to win a fifth MVP have diminished, at least according to oddsmakers, because he missed 20 consecutive games due to injury. But James returned on Friday, and if he plays in every game the rest of the season, he will have played in 51 games – or 70% of his team’s games.
Jokić has put up a phenomenal season and the Nuggets finishing strong has put some distance between him and the closest contenders: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. If Embiid had played the same number of games as Jokić while maintaining his level of production, our model has this coming down to the wire. But, as it stands, Jokić is the clear-cut favorite. Note that the scores may be slightly deflated (in comparison to historical seasons above), and expect these scores to rise slightly as the final games are played and we update the data.
Mike Trudell: Scott Brooks: “There’s players since I’ve been following the league that probably could win an MVP every year … obviously Michael. Kobe coulda won just about every year. Shaq. LeBron James can win every year … what’s a down year for him? 27, 8 and 8?"
Charles Barkley has been saying for months that Chris Paul should be in the NBA MVP conversation. Radio personality Colin Cowherd recently put Paul atop his list of MVP candidates. "Next to LeBron James, nobody in the NBA has the ability to change your basketball team's win-loss standings. Nobody, expect Chris Paul," Cowherd said last week on his show "The Herd."
Cowherd not having Joel Embiid in his top five is puzzling, considering the Philadelphia 76ers center is averaging 30 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on 51.3% shooting for the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, but what does Paul have to say about his growing MVP talk? "I appreciate it," Paul said as the Phoenix Suns (42-17) prepared to continue their five-game road trip Sunday at the East-leading Brooklyn Nets (40-20) in a national TV matinee (ESPN, 3:30 ET).
Curry, for his part, has said he's "gotta be" the MVP even when acknowledging he is unlikely to win. If you ask Steve Kerr if his superstar guard is the league's most valuable player, Steve Kerr has a simple answer. "Yes," Kerr said after the Warriors' win over the Nuggets.
Duane Rankin: Chris Paul on MVP talk: Said he knows who he is and what he brings to a team, but... "It's about us. It's about what we're doing. We're building." Said he doesn't think about being an MVP candidate. #Suns
Shams Charania: 76ers star Joel Embiid sits down with @Stadium: “There’s no doubt (I’m MVP). I’ve been dominant all season. I’m not going to stop.” On motivation from feeling disrespected and frustrated last season, Shaq’s criticism “opened my eyes to actually realize that I can be that guy.” pic.twitter.com/Ud3O2APOkV
Jeremy Lin talked with Emmet Ryan of BallinEurope about Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and more, at the Collision conference, organized by Web Summit, which is being held virtually and staged out of Toronto, Canada. “What he’s doing is ridiculous. The end of the season will be interesting. He’s definitely a front runner right now and Denver is playing really well,” he told BallinEurope regarding Jokic’s position in the race for the NBA season’s MVP award, “The only other person I’d put into consideration is Steph Curry, what he’s doing is historic. There are good candidates on the Sixers and the Jazz but, to me, it’s still Jokic.”
The Jump: "I mean, I gotta be. I gotta be. I probably won't get it but whatever." - @Stephen Curry on whether he believes he should be the MVP this year h/t "The @RexChapman Show" (@basketbllnews) #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #DubNation pic.twitter.com/lG4nnLTbkG
Ryan Ward: Some drastic changes over the last 3 weeks in the odds for NBA MVP, via @betonline_ag: LeBron: 10/1 on April 1. Now: 33/1 MVP Fav: Nikola Jokic was 10/13. Now: 2/7 Embiid: 17/2. Now: 3/1 Steph: Off the Board. Now: 10/1 Giannis: 10/1. Now: 16/1 Harden: 9/4. Now: 25/1
Deonte Burton: It’s blasphemous to say Stephen curry isn’t the best shooter we ever seen, not to mention the best offensive point guard we’ve seen ever not to fu#king mention top 10 all time ever to play!!! He would be my mvp! And it’s not even close!!!
Michael Singer: Asked Malone whether that was Jokic’s MVP moment: “Life’s about little moments. And Nikola’s got about 56 moments where he’s shown he’s the MVP.”
Sergen Kumas: Joel Embiid on his MVP candidacy: “As far as MVP, I’ve been dominant all season. When I get the ball, it’s either a foul or a bucket. I feel like I’m right there.”
While Jokic is miles ahead of the field, his point total is right in line with where the winners landed each of the past few seasons. What is different, however, is that there is no clear second-place finisher. Since the league shifted to the current voting format in 2017, second place has earned at least 738 points. Embiid, who received five of the remaining 11 first-place votes, was second with 401 points -- not much more than half of that typical amount. Antetokounmpo (no first-place votes, 375 points), the two-time reigning MVP, was a close third, with Damian Lillard (two first-place votes, 67 total votes, 283 points) in fourth and Harden (one first-place vote, 62 total votes, 231 points) in fifth.
James, meanwhile, went from getting more than half of the first-place votes in the last straw poll to getting none this time. He was left off nearly two-thirds of the ballots entirely, garnering just 37 total votes and 105 points. He was just ahead of Chris Paul, who had two first-place votes and 98 total points, with Kawhi Leonard (80 points, including one first-place vote) in eighth, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (28 points) in ninth and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (26 points) in 10th.
Duane Rankin: Kings coach Luke Walton said there "is room" to put Chris Paul in the MVP conversation. Paul on his way to his 17th double-double this season. Has nine points and eight assists as #Suns have 84-77 lead with 6:51 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Jump: "I really don't care. I feel the criteria changes every day" - @Kevin Durant on who he thinks should be the MVP #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #BrooklynTogether pic.twitter.com/oWDqhw4GmP
StatMuse: Nikola Jokic is currently leading the NBA in PER, WS, WS/48, BPM, VORP and is the betting favorite to win MVP. If he does win it, he would be the lowest drafted player (41st) in NBA history to do so. The current record is 15th, held by Nash and Giannis. (Submitted by @shawnqjx) pic.twitter.com/WlkysoeGk6
Playmaking—Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-best 6.4 assists—has been an area of growth for Giannis, something team officials attribute to the game continuing to slow down for the 26-year old two-time reigning MVP. “The pace that he is playing at is different,” Bucks GM Jon Horst said in a telephone interview. “He’s playing with more control. He’s picking his spots. That’s the kind of thing you only get through maturity.” Regarding the MVP race, Horst offers the strongest possible endorsement. “He is a better player this year than in the years he won,” says Horst. And while GM-supporting-star is hardly an objective take, there is evidence backing it up. Antetokounmpo is in the top-five in offensive and defensive win shares—only Jokić can claim that—and one of two players (Jokić, again) averaging at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
After dropping 44 points in a win over the Pistons on Friday night in Detroit, James Harden said that he doesn't simply believe he belongs in the Most Valuable Player award conversation -- he should sit atop the list. "Do I feel like I belong in it? I feel like I am the MVP," the Brooklyn Nets star said. "I mean, it's just that simple. I don't want to be speaking individually on myself. I am just going to leave it at that."
Either way, there's little question that James and Embiid suffering injuries helps the MVP candidacy of Nikola Jokic, the other top contender based on advanced statistics. And it continues to crack open the door for the past two winners, Antetokounmpo and Harden, whose chances were written off early in the season. Most importantly, the injuries are a reminder that we shouldn't be in a hurry to pick an MVP before the season is near completion.
The impact of injuries is a key reason it's dangerous to start to draw MVP conclusions too early in the season. Staying on the court is a key part of value within an individual regular season. Historically, 10 games missed has been about the cutoff for MVP consideration. The last player to miss more than 10 games in an MVP season was Allen Iverson in 2000-01 (11). Before that, you have to go back to Bill Walton in 1977-78 (an unprecedented 34) for the previous example. (No MVP between Walton and Iverson missed more than seven games.)
But there are also new names that have emerged as the season moves to the home stretch. Perhaps the emerging star to keep an eye on is Dame Lillard in Portland, whose odds somehow lengthened from +1800 to +2100. The Blazers’ star is single-handedly raising the oft-injured Blazers’ roster to the upper tier in the conference.
Harrison Wind: Nikola Jokic on Malone endorsing him for MVP: "It's nice. The guys are trusting me. The coaches are trusting me. The front office is trusting me. The Kroenke family (is trusting me). It's really nice to have such a big group of people behind you, trusting you." "It's cool."
Michael Singer: Malone, asked about Jokic’s MVP case: “I don’t think Nikola Jokic is a bad defender. ... If people want to nitpick, I’m sure they can say that about Nikola, but I, as a head coach and who’s worked with him for 6 years now, don’t agree with that.”
LeBron James has been awarded the NBA's MVP award four times in his career, tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the third most all time, but one of his teammates, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, says James should have double that. At least. "The NBA MVP is a very political award," Kuzma said after the Lakers' 116-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. "Bron should have been the MVP at least eight, nine, 10 times. Everybody knows that."
When asked about Kuzma's claim, James admitted he felt he has been snubbed in the past, but he wouldn't specify how many he felt he deserved to win. "I should have more than four, I believe," James said. "But ... I don't sit around thinking about it or crying about it, or whatever the case may be. I just try to come in the next season and be the MVP and be talked about [for] it again. I bet a lot of the greatest that played this game feel like they should have more as well, if you ask any one of those guys.
"It's a mistake on the voters' part to go season after season without voting the best player in the league MVP," Vogel said. "You know what I mean? That's the simplest way to put it. There's been other players that have been deserving, but he's been the best player in the league for as long as I can remember. Maybe since his second, third year in the league. It's just one of those things that's unfortunate. It's not right. And he should get it this year. He's doing it every night and no one is as deserving."
Jusuf Nurkic: We approve ONILOVIĆ @Shaquille O'Neal 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jusuf Nurkic: Babo is THE MVP!!! @Dame_Lillard
As we cross the halfway point of the NBA season, we are set up for what should be the most raucous and divisive MVP race since Russell Westbrook's win in 2017 -- and one of the most unusual in NBA history. A lot of voters -- this one included, as I have an official ballot -- try to compartmentalize by considering only the discrete 82 games (or now 72) of each season. We give the award every season; it is for that specific season. What happened last season shouldn't factor in. What might happen in the playoffs is irrelevant.
That's what we tell ourselves, anyway. But the voters -- about 100 media members -- are people, not robots. We are stricken with cognitive ticks that muddy any attempt at compartmentalization. Nagging thoughts about narrative and legacy and past and future performance figured to play an outsized role this season even before Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden entered the picture as one of the most unconventional MVP candidates in league history. Harden probably isn't going to win, and he shouldn't, but he has played himself into the race to the point that several major media outlets have devoted significant air time and virtual ink to his candidacy.
The discourse surrounding last year's top two finishers -- the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James -- was primed to get messy and interesting and maybe a little edgy in the media even before Harden and two behemoth centers crashed the MVP race. Antetokounmpo has won the past two MVPs, outpointing James easily last season. Antetokounmpo's statistical case was almost unassailable -- at least according to almost every publicly available statistic. He also won Defensive Player of the Year. The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA.
As our Brian Windhorst noted last month, James has not won MVP since 2013. You can explain away each individual season. I've had an official ballot in every season starting in 2013-14, and have not voted James as MVP in any of them. At the time, each vote felt fine -- close in some seasons, but fine. I don't regret any of them now. In totality, it still seems undeniably stupid that that guy we all recognize as the best player alive has not won MVP in eight years. It just does.
On the flip side, there is a clear pull to reward James a fifth MVP as something of a career capstone. He is having an MVP-worthy season: 25 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on tidy 51% shooting -- 36% on 3s, 59% on 2s. The two other leading candidates -- Joel Embiid of the 76ers and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets -- outpace him by most advanced metrics, but not all of them. James is in a virtual tie for No. 2 in the field of nine candidates in Value Over Replacement Player (behind Jokic, and by a lot), and No. 1 in ESPN's fancy real plus-minus stat.
The Lakers are plus-9.1 per 100 possessions with James on the floor, and minus-4.4 when he rests -- the second-fattest on-off gap among the major candidates, trailing only Embiid. That sustained during the Lakers' slide without Anthony Davis; the Lakers are plus-20 with James on the floor since Davis went on the shelf, and minus-31 with James on the bench, per NBA.com By historical standards, James is having an MVP-level season -- just not a no-brainer MVP season. As of now, it would rank midtier among all 65 prior NBA MVP seasons: almost exactly in the middle in points per game, 49th in Player Efficiency Rating, 61st in win shares per 48 minutes.
A similar sentiment may help James in this season's voting. Harden is the "new team" guy -- the Garnett/Barkley/Nash of this season's race. But the barrier to winning his second MVP should be very high for Harden considering the nature of his exit from the Houston Rockets. The eight games he played there constitute 11% of this season -- a non-trivial share. They will constitute an even greater percentage of Harden's individual season, because he has missed a few games. He put up numbers in those eight games, but if you watched them, you know Harden was disengaged. Opponents outscored the Rockets by 6.6 points per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor during his final Houston stretch -- and won the minutes Harden rested by almost the same amount, per NBA.com. You can't erase that from his candidacy for an award based on play in this particular season.
The Nets have outscored opponents by six points per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor -- good, but not incredible. They are about even in the 308 minutes Harden has played without both Irving and Durant, according to NBA.com. Harden has done a nice job carrying Brooklyn bench units. Steve Nash has entrusted Harden with the most solo minutes among his three stars, and Harden is maybe the best equipped among them to thrive in those situations.
Harden has been brilliant as a Net. He's already second in franchise history in triple-doubles, which is both amazing and a little funny. Someday, the voting body might buck precedent and award MVP to someone traded in-season. I'm skeptical Harden is or should be that player. Just getting on the ballot is going to be hard -- for Harden, Lillard, Curry, and others. Everything will change if Durant continues to miss major time, or if Irving does -- and Harden lifts the Nets. Even then, Harden winning seems a stretch given what Jokic, Embiid, and James are doing. With or without Harden as a serious candidate, the next two months figure to give us a rollicking MVP debate.
StatMuse: Should Giannis be in the MVP conversation? - More PPG than Jokic - More RPG than Embiid - Higher FG% than Durant - Higher eFG% than Harden - Higher TS% than Lillard - Higher PER than LeBron He has the highest +/- out of all the above players. pic.twitter.com/1G2RdIOZ1I
Adam Zagoria: Joel Embiid is the New MVP Favorite, per @betonline_ag pic.twitter.com/QCqppFB7eS
The Utah Jazz have the best record in the NBA at 27-7 and yet when it comes to MVP, neither Donovan Mitchell nor Rudy Gobert are given much consideration. Jordan Clarkson, the clear front-runner for the Sixth Man of the Year award, is the latest guest on the “Posted Up with Chris Haynes” podcast. The 28-year-old guard is averaging a career-high in points (18.1) and shooting 37.1% from behind the arc.
In this episode, he discussed the two stars being overlooked for MVP and how the team is unbothered by not receiving acknowledgment. “It doesn’t come up but we definitely praise [Mitchell and Gobert] saying, ‘Yo, you should be in that NBA conversation’ and stuff like that,” Clarkson said on the “Posted Up” pod. “That’s the only conversation that comes out of that. But in terms of worrying about if we’re getting noticed or any of that, I don’t think any of that really seeps into any of our heads. We’re kind of just focused on one thing and that’s winning games and keeping this thing rolling. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t be in the conversation, but hey, it is what it is. We’re just trying to prove people wrong and get better. That’s it.”
The Lakers swoon has led some, including The Athletic’s Sam Amick, to consider the ramifications a month without Davis might have on James’ bid for a fifth NBA Most Valuable Player award. “Put it to you like this,” Davis said. “I know that that man does not care about MVP awards. He cares about championships. So if he loses the MVP and wins the championship like he did last year, he doesn’t care. So that’s what his mindset is, he’s not focused on MVPs. He’s focused on Finals MVPs.”
