Could the NBA regular season’s final week decide the 2022 MVP?
While Denver Nuggets center and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has the inside track at the award, both he and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid have plenty to play for down the stretch. (The Nuggets can still capture home-court advantage in the Western Conference’s first round, while the 76ers are in a four-team battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.)
Jokic and Embiid have been spectacular, but plenty of other stars have proven themselves worthy of entering the conversation throughout the 2021-22 season.
Milwaukee Bucks big man and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo navigated numerous injuries to key role players to keep the defending champs within striking distance of the East’s best record. Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been the best player on the NBA’s best team. Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been the face of the league’s most surprising contender. Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have sparked massive second-half turnarounds for the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, respectively.
Let’s run through the players deserving of some MVP love, including the front-runners, the long shots and early-season — but not forgotten — favorites.
Note: MVP odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
THE ELITE BIG MEN TRIO
Stats: 26.8 PPG | 13.7 RPG | 8.0 APG | 58.3 FG%
MVP odds: -300
Team record: 47-32 (fifth in West)
Case for MVP
Nikola Jokic’s MVP flex is more muscular than The Rock. The reigning award winner is averaging 26.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists while shooting 58.3% from the field. No one in NBA history has ever averaged 25-13-7 in a season. Even without the injured Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic leads the league in triple-doubles (19), second most by a center in history behind only Wilt Chamberlain.
Jokic ranks top 10 in points, rebounds and assists per game and field goal percentage — something no player has done in a season over the past 50 years. Jokic has recorded over…
Source : espn
