1. Luka Doncic – DAL
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Season stats: 33.6 PTS, 8.9 REB, 8.7 AST
The Mavericks have slipped up in recent games, falling to 25-23, leading many to drop Doncic in their MVP ladders. However, we saw this earlier in the year and the Mavericks found a way to pick it up and surge comfortably ahead of .500. With Luka still playing lights out basketball, I refuse to drop him from the top spot on the MVP ladder. If the Mavericks manage to slip into the play-in tournament, then we can start to talk about putting Jokic over him.
2. Nikola Jokic – DEN
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Season stats: 25.1 PTS, 11.0 RPG, 9.9 AST
Nikola Jokic is right on Doncic’s heels, putting together yet another historic season of his own. With the Nuggets still holding the top spot in the Western Conference, he certainly has the winning side of the MVP argument on his side. He might also end up averaging a triple double this year, as he is currently averaging 9.9 assists per game.
3. Joel Embiid – PHI
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Season stats: 33.6 PTS, 9.8 REB, 4.2 AST
Joel Embiid is quietly having another dominant scoring season, currently a hair behind Luka Doncic for the NBA’s scoring title. It seems no one is willing to give him the MVP consideration he was getting at this point last year, but he has been as dominant as anyone else in the race. With the Sixers currently holding the two seed in the East, Embiid deserves to be in the conversation with Jokic and Doncic as the best MVP cases this year.
4. Jayson Tatum – BOS
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Season stats: 31.2 PTS, 8.5 REB, 4.3 AST
The Celtics have held the best record in the NBA for the vast majority of the season, and Tatum has been incredible in that time. He has upped his defensive intensity, is scoring at an incredible clip, and is quietly becoming the best rebounder at his position in the league.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo – MIL
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Season stats: 31.0 PTS, 11.9 REB, 5.3 AST
Before missing the Bucks last five games due to knee soreness, Antetokounmpo was slumping a bit statistically. Following a dominant 55 point performance against the Wizards, the Greek Freak endured a string of games in which he shot 36% from the floor, including two games with fewer than 10 points. A knee injury obviously affected him, but with the dominance at the top of this MVP ladder, that was enough to push him back to fifth on the list. It also does not help that the Bucks are now tied with the Nets for the third best record in the East.
6. Ja Morant – MEM
7. Kevin Durant – BKN
8. Donavan Mitchell – CLE
9. Shai Giligeous-Alexander – OKC
10. Jaylen Brown – BOS
Honorable mentions: Stephen Curry – GSW, LeBron James – LAL, De’Aaron Fox – SAC, Domantas Sabonis – SAC, Julius Randle – NYK, James Harden – PHI, Lauri Markkanen – UTA
