1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
The Next Five: Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James.
Tyrese believers we are winning
I think Luka should be like 3 or 4 rn, he didn’t play to his standards this past week & lost 2 winnable games, & even Jokic should be dropped one spot. Also KD should be 6th at least, but maybe due to him losing without Booker he’s ranked that low
Jokic has been losing without Jamal.
Not saying Jokic should be moved down because of it because that would be ridiculous either way
I feel like KD should be in the top 5. But then I look at the top 5 and I dunno who to remove. Maybe Tatum? KD has been unreal for more than a few games now.
Don’t get me wrong, Ant has been balling, but KAT has been our best player since the Boston game.
NAZ REID
Since the Boston game:
KAT: 25.4/8.6/3.1/1.1/1 on 58/50/90
Ant: 24.6/5.4/5.4/1.9/0.5 on 43/34/86
KAT has been more clutch as well with big shots against the Warriors and the Pelicans.
How is SGA not 1-2 right now?
He’s basically new Tatum. His team is very good even when he’s not on the floor. I’d still put him over Luka and Joel because you need to respect the record, and Shai clearly their #1 guy.
It’s funny because Shai’s impact metrics are like top 2-3 in almost every stat.
Only behind in Jokic
The problem with EPM or other impact metrics is they aren’t reliable to quantify defensive impact. On/off analysis isn’t the end all method as well ofc. Either way, it still stands true that Shai #4 isn’t the most controversial thing here.
Genuinely thought sga would be higher. Huge numbers on both ends of the court. Efficient %'s. Team is second in the west. Better record than philly and Dallas.
How is he 4th in voting??
What does KD need to do to make it to the top 5 lmao?
Put up the exact same numbers but not be named Kevin Durant
At a certain point being disliked in the media makes it almost impossible to climb up this ladder lol
So, Ja Morant.
Donovan Mitchell is better than Anthony Edwards on every single stat except maybe DREB, which isn’t really a valuable stat because Donovan Mitchell has Mobley and Allen getting rebounds.
Ant has more games played, on the number 1 seed in the West and plays elite (albeit somewhat inconsistent) one on one defense.
Next up: Outplay Embiid tomorrow and pass him for #3.
Hali should be at least 4th imo. He’s arguably having a better offensive season than Jokic(not overall as good though. Jokic contributes rebounds and is actually a better defender)
TWO-WAY SHAI
The “next 5” should be at the top of the list.
Might be the best MVP leader board since Magic/Bird’s last few great seasons that aligned with guys like Dominique/Isiah/McHale then the classic mega stars like Jordan/Hakeem/Barkley/Ewing/Mailman really starting to take off.
Hopefully they throw out the narratives – and let the best candidate win.
Don’t think “team record” should matter all that much. Given how much parity there is. Unless we get some extreme like a team wins 70 plus games. OR, a team wins fewer than 20-25 games.
Greek Freak, LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tyrese Halliburton… could win this thing. Shai could win this thing. Heck, Chet Holmgren is balling out with a highly-efficient style. Give it to Chad Lincoln if he deserves it.
Lol tyrese is better than giannis and lebron but somehow not better than Ant? Who tf makes these rankings. Like id take Giannis or lebron this season over tyrese but i would take tyrese this season over ant