NBA MVP Watch: Feb. 26
The past few weeks have been very eventful for the NBA and have had major implications on the rest of the season.
Now, as teams put the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and refocus after the festivities of All-Star weekend, every game is of major importance as we approach the final months of the season.
With these circumstances, the MVP race is also coming to a close as this is generally the time that the top two or so candidates begin to separate themselves, but this year is very different.
This year’s race is wide open between multiple candidates, but let’s take a look at the few players still very much in the running.
Nikola Jokic
After winning the award the last two seasons, “The Joker” is looking more and more like he’ll end up being the ninth player ever to win three MVPs and just the fourth to do it in three consecutive seasons.
Jokic has been virtually unstoppable all over the court for the Denver Nuggets, who sit at the top seed in the Western Conference.
He is averaging a triple-double with 24.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10 assists, showing his all around value for this Nuggets team that has been one of the league’s best all season long.
Jayson Tatum
Like Jokic, Tatum falls under the category of “best player on the best team” which tends to be a common argument when it comes to MVP voting.
The Boston Celtics are the number one seed in the East right now and have been basically all year as they currently hold a record of 44-17.
Coming off his first NBA Finals appearance and losing to the Warriors, Tatum looks like a man on a mission, averaging the sixth most points per game in the league with 30.4 on top of 8.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
If he doesn’t end up with the regular season MVP, the Finals MVP seems like it could very well come home with him instead.
Luka Doncic
Doncic has looked like one of the best players in basketball ever since he stepped on the court during his rookie season in 2018-2019 and he has only gotten better.
Currently tied for most points per game in the league with 33.1, Luka is also very close to averaging a triple double with 8.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
One of the league’s most dominant offensive forces, the 23-year old superstar is keeping his Mavericks afloat, as they lost key guard Jalen Brunson last offseason and haven’t been able to surround him with a ton of talent this year.
However, Luka has kept Dallas in the top six in the West and they recently acquired star point guard Kyrie Irving, so he might look even better throughout these final months.
Joel Embiid
Philadelphia fans have been displeased, to say the least, with the treatment of Embiid when it has come to this award in previous years, but this very well could be the year they finally get their wish.
Embiid has led the Sixers to a top three seed in the East once again and is scoring 33.1 points per game, which is tied with Luka Doncic for the league lead.
His biggest rival for the award, and title for best center in the league, has been Nikola Jokic for the past handful of seasons, but in their last matchup, Embiid dropped a whopping 47 points which was just one of 10 40-point games from him this season.
Jakob Schnur is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu
