NBA MVP Watch: Feb. 11

Story posted February 11, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Patrick Lepre

The NBA All-Star break is a little over a week away. Being the MVP favorite heading into the All-Star weekend will be huge for whoever that may be as they will be the head of the talking points for the award during all the press coverage.

Here's who currently should be those getting talked about.

Joel Embiid

It seems Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have been alternating at the top of the MVP race for a while now this season. Embiid has been on a tear all season.

In his last five games, Embiid is averaging 32.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 4.4 ASG. It always seems like when the 76ers need a bucket Embiid is there.

However, with the 76ers now adding James Harden, it’ll be interesting to see how that affects Embiid in his push for MVP.

Nikola Jokic

Jokic has had a hiccup in his MVP caliber season.

In his last five, he averaged 22.4 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 9.8 ASG. Now, these aren’t bad stats by any means but for points and rebounds it’s below his season average as his average for points is 25.8 and rebounds is 13.6.

This was enough for Embiid to leapfrog Jokic for the time being. Jokic more than likely will shrug this off and continue to carry the Nuggets to the playoffs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Antetokounmpo is starting to heat up right before the All-Star break.

He is averaging 32.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 6.4 ASG in his last five, which are all above his season averages. This hot streak has also resulted in four straight wins for the Bucks.

If Antetokounmpo can continue this streak and get the Bucks the one seed in the East, it would be very hard to argue against him winning the award.

Stephen Curry

Since breaking the all-time three-point record Curry has cooled off quite a bit from beyond the arc. However, in his last five games, he has a 42.9 three-point percentage.

He is still under 40 percent on the season from three which is uncharacteristic of Curry but maybe his last five games will be a sign of things to come.

Outside of shooting Curry does so much for the Warriors that his presence alone opens up shots for everyone else on the court.

If Curry does want to win the MVP this season he is going to have to catch fire from three again to get the voter's attention over the names above him.

Chris Paul

The impact Chris Paul has had on the Phoenix Suns is very clear to any NBA fan. Paul is averaging 15 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 10.5 ASG.

While those aren’t numbers that jump off the paper, Paul’s impact goes way beyond the stat sheet. Paul gets everyone involved and is one of the smartest players the NBA has probably ever seen.

Not to mention how clutch Paul has been the entire year as he is shooting 57.1% in clutch time this season. Paul will probably have to up the scoring a bit, in the end, to win the award but he definitely should be mentioned.

Patrick Lepre is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email pjl5466@psu.edu.

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