The race for the prize MVPthe most prestigious individual award given by the NBA during his normal phase, it is one of the biggest and hardest battles to win. Not only do you have to perform at an excellent level and be consistent, you also have to be in a team that occupies relevant positions. With one month of activity left in the 2022-2023 season, the race for the MVP it is as open as the rest of the competition. The battle looks like a replica of the past three seasons, with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid battling for the prize.
With all of this in mind, the NBA’s newsroom Sports news He picked his five favorites to be MVP this past January. The grading system is very simple: 1st gets 5 points. the 2nd, 4; and so on.
Click here to see the votes and positions
#5 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Statistics in January: 31.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists
If Kevin Durant’s injury hadn’t kept him out for the past few weeks, that hole probably would have been for the Nets star. And it is that by pure rejection Giannis Antetokounmpo should be included as the finishing touch for this particular MVP race. The Greek, without a doubt, is running a sensational campaign, it is enough to emphasize that he is the third scorer (31.8) and second-highest rebounder.
However, the Bucks number isn’t as effective as one might expect at this point in the campaign. He’s taking more shots per game than ever before (20.9), dropping his two-pointers (57.8%) and three-pointers despite the fact that the volume is down (27.4%). It is impossible to ignore this when evaluating the performance of a Giannis who, in addition, shoots 64.4% free. His MVP bid is pretty weak.
#4 – Jayson Tatum
- Statistics in January: 31.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists
If it weren’t for the relative step back Boston experienced in the final month of games, Jayson Tatum’s MVP candidacy would be higher than ever. The forward finished January as the league’s fifth-highest scorer, only marred by his 44.4% field goal accuracy and 34.1% three-point shooting.
Regardless, the 24-year-old is having the best season of his short career, showing progress that surely ranks him among the best in the league. If Mazzulla can find the key defensively and get the best of Tatum on that side again, there’s no doubt he’ll finish in the top three.
#3 – Luka Doncic
- Statistics in January: 31.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists
Three. These are the players who can average over 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in a season. Or was until this version of Luka Doncic arrived. ONE Jordan, Westbrook and Robertson They are joined by the Slovenian star, who is on course to sign off on a superb campaign.
If the MVP is normally awarded to the best player among the top three players in each conference, Doncic should be an exception in the same way that Jokic or Russ were in the past. And it’s no less because the former Real Madrid signer signs those numbers with a usage rate of 38.4%, less than Westbrook in 2017 and higher than Jordan in 1988 (32.1%) when they recorded the aforementioned metrics.
Also, it’s important to mention the context. The Mavs being sixth doesn’t have the same value now as another season because parity is manifesting in the West, with 4 away games between 4th and 13th, make posts more relevant. Doncic is in contention for the leading scorer on 87.6 percent of his goals without an assist and is responsible for 55.6 of the Mavs’ 112.3 points between baskets and assists.
#2 – Joel Embiid
Statistics in January: 34.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks
And a year later things are still the same. Joel Embiid is back in style in the MVP debate. The Cameroonian once again shows that he is one of the most versatile players in the league when it comes to scoring and that explains the 76ers’ recent rise in the East. Embiid is steadily on his way to his second leading scorer title averaging 33.6 points while shooting 56.7% from two (career high) and 35.8% from the three-point line.
Not only is he the best in scoring, but he has increased his nightly average by 3 percentage points, an improvement that reflects his own development, but also how he has polished certain areas of the game.
Unfortunately, your acquisition options first MVP It depends not so much on the performance he can deliver but on how exhausted the voters are from choosing Jokic as their running mate. This is Embiid’s likely last chance to win the award, and he’s doing everything in his power to get it.
#1 – Nikola Jokic
- Statistics in January: 24.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.3 assists
Month by month the possibility that Nikola Jokic ends up joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird as the only ones with three consecutive MVPs seem more doable. And no less because the Serb has managed to raise his performance even more, creating an unsurpassed show night after night.
His individual excellence knows no bounds and finally has a reflection in the balance of his team. The Nuggets did not make the playoffs in extremis to be the leaders of the Western Conference in a dynamic way. That’s thanks to key players returning, but mostly Jokic’s step up this season.
Such is Joker’s performance that he is on track to join Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only three players to average a triple-double per game.
votes and positions
seats
| pos. | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| a | Nikola Jokic | 19 |
| 2 | Joel Embiid | fifteen |
| 3 | Luka Doncic | 9 |
| 4 | Jason Tatum | 9 |
| 5 | John Antetokounmpo | 8 |
voting
| pos. | Augustine Aboy (@AboyAgustin) | Sergio Rabinal (@S_Rabinal) | Juan Esteves (@JuanEstevez90) | Leandro Fernandez (@FernandezLea) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | Nikola Jokic | Nikola Jokic | Joel Embiid | Nikola Jokic |
| 2 | Joel Embiid | Luka Doncic | Nikola Jokic | Joel Embiid |
| 3 | Jason Tatum | Jason Tatum | John Antetokounmpo | Luka Doncic |
| 4 | John Antetokounmpo | Joel Embiid | Jason Tatum | John Antetokounmpo |
| 5 | Luka Doncic | John Antetokounmpo | Luka Doncic | Jason Tatum |
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
