NBA MVP Watch: Week 8
After eight weeks of the NBA season, numerous players have emerged as legitimate MVP candidates.
The prestigious award has a lot of factors that go into it, such as the team’s record, supporting players, reliance on a player, total games played and more.
Here are the top candidates for MVP so far this season.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Tatum is having the best season of his career, but what’s even more impressive is the play of the Boston Celtics as a team.
The Celtics have the best offense in the league, ranking first in points per game and 3-point percentage, and have the highest offensive rating of all time.
They lead the league with a 21-6 record and look like they have only gotten better since they went to the NBA Finals last season.
Tatum is the focal point of the Celtics’ offense, leading the team with 30 points per game. He also averages around eight rebounds, four assists a steal and a block.
Defensively the Celtics have taken a step backward in the absence of Robert Williams Ⅲ. However, Tatum is still a great defender, making him one of the best two-way players in the NBA and one of the most valuable.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Antetokounmpo picked up right where he left off last season, looking like the most dominant and best player in the league.
Even though Khris Middleton missed the first 20 games of the season, the Bucks have the second-best record in the league at 19-6.
The Bucks rely on their defense, holding their opponents to the second-fewest points per game. This is mainly due to Antetokounmpo, who has proven to be one of the best defenders in the NBA, winning the defensive player of the year award in 2019-2020.
Offensively, the team has been more reliant on him than ever as Antetokounmpo leads the league with a 38.6% usage percentage. In 21 games played, he has averaged 31.9 points, 11 rebounds, 5.4 assists and nearly one block and steal a game.
With Middleton back now, the Bucks’ offense will likely improve and be less reliant on one player. However, if Antetokounmpo can keep up his stats and keep Milwaukee at the top of the conference, then he has a legitimate chance to win this award for the third time in his career.
Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Of the leading MVP candidates, Dončić finds himself on the team with the least amount of support around him.
Most of the top players on a team has a great supporting cast and a strong second option, but the Mavericks haven’t surrounded their star with the same caliber of players. As a result, Dončić finds himself having to do everything for the team, creating shots for himself and others. He ranks second in the league in usage percentage, only trailing Antetokounmpo in that category.
He is an offensive juggernaut, leading the league with 32.9 points per game and ranking fourth in league in assists with 8.8 per game.
The only thing holding back his MVP case is his team’s success, which is a major concern as the Mavericks are 13-13, which puts them as the tenth seed in the Western Conference.
For Dončić to win the award, his team will at least have to make the playoffs, which is no guarantee considering how competitive the league is this year.
Christopher Reynolds is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at clr5971@psu.edu
