NBA 2023 MVP Watch
The NBA Most Valuable Player Award race is getting tighter and tighter as we approach the end of regular season action.
The current race is very close between the two best big men in the league Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid and is getting more difficult for players like Jayson Tatum or Luka Dončić to keep up with the pace.
With the Boston Celtics struggling in recent play, stock for Tatum has seemingly lowered, and the two-time MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo has been able to vault his Milwaukee Bucks above the Celtics and into the first-place spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia 76ers have stayed within the top five of the Eastern Conference for most of the season, but it's mostly due to their stay player Joel Embiid being a consistently brute force, and his contribution to the 76ers' attempt of passing the Celtics in the standings before the season comes to a close.
Embiid has found a rhythm in his style of play like no other, as he currently averages 33.4 points per game. Embiid also contributes double-digit rebounds per game, but all this effort is matched by his opponent in this tight race, Nikola Jokić.
On the other side in the Western Conference, Jokić has been a pivotal part of the Denver Nuggets offense and is a big reason they currently hold onto the number one spot and have been for a majority of the season.
Jokić is in the best spot to win this honor at this time.
As of right now, Jokić’s stats speak for themselves and show the type of gritty big-man player that he really is on the floor. He is currently averaging a triple-double with over 24 points per game and has only missed a total of eight games this season.
Jokić has the opportunity of becoming only the fourth player in all of NBA history to win the award three years in a row if he is able to secure the hardware at the end of the season.
This feat is a very noteworthy accomplishment as other legendary players have not been able to accomplish a three-peat. Moses Malone, LeBron James and Michael Jordan have all also won either three or more, but never all in a row.
Antetokounmpo is still in contention for the award, and although Embiid is collecting bucket upon bucket, the efforts Jokić has brought to the team, and what he has been able to turn the Nuggets into push him above the rest when deciding who should go home with the award.
The two to pay the most attention to as the regular season starts to wrap up are without a doubt Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid.
Although there is much time until the season awards are announced, there is little time left in this regular season. The award ceremony will be held in June when the winners of all the regular season honors are announced.
Brendan Conroy is a third-year studying broadcast journalism. To contact him email him at brc5392@psu.edu.
