NBA MVP has become one of the most intense debates in the sports world every year. playoff may create legends, but winning an MVP will enhance the legacy of a star player better than a championship. At this moment, every retired MVP in league history has entered the basketball Hall of Fame.
has produced many controversial MVP votes over the past decade. Despite strong cases in Dwight Howard and LeBron James , Derek Ross became the youngest player to win the award in 2011. Russell Westbrook won a controversial victory over James Harden in 2017. The match between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid last year also had a fierce debate before Jokic exited the victory. There are only five positions in the
official MVP vote, but we will rank at least 10 players worth mentioning in the discussion. We excluded LeBron James from this list because his team failed to even make the play-offs and did not include Kevin Durant because he did not play more than 55 games.
10. Karl Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
KAT has experienced heartbreaking personal tragedies over the past two years but has stood out in the most productive and fulfilling season of his NBA career. The superstar center has produced his typical excellent data - averaging 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists, with a real shooting percentage of up to 64.2% - this time it directly translated into a victory for the Wolves . Minnesota is ranked 6th on offense, 14th on defense, and has the second best net score in the league since the All-Star Game. There is no doubt that Downs is the star of the show. KAT has become the greatest big shooter of all time at the age of 26. Now he has fully grown into one of the best players in the world.
9. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
When I was in January for my first MVP vote of the season. 1. Stephen Curry is the obvious leader in winning this award. It seems that from that moment, Curry fell into what might be the worst shooting downturn of his career, watching his 3-point shooting percentage drop from 40% at the end of 2021 to 35.6% in 2022. Just when Stephen seemed to have a sprained left foot ligament in his attempt to get out of the March downturn, it would keep him out of the postseason. Despite missing a series of games recently, Curry has outstripped Kevin Durant, Jamorant or LeBron James, and his incredible start to the season should be included in his overall review of the year. We have had several months of Stephen’s form peaking this season and should be celebrated.
8. Luka Doncic , G, Dallas Mavericks
Doncic enters this season for the second consecutive year to win the MVP, but the start is slow due to his poor form. As his physical fitness gradually improved, he started playing elite-level games we knew he could play. The 23-year-old Mavericks star averages 28.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, with a usage rate of up to 37.2, tied for the highest in the league with Joel Embiid . The Mavericks won 50 games for the first time in Doncic’s career, mainly because the defense (7th in the league) is much better than their offense (14th). Luca 's first two playoff games ended with a loss to Kawhi Leonard 's Los Angeles Clippers, but his superstar-level performance in both series should scare potential opponents into the year.
7. Jason Tatum , G, Boston Celtics
may be hard to remember now, but Celtics ranked 9th in the East on February 1, and looks very disappointed with head coach Ime Udoka’s first season.Boston has had its best record in basketball since then, with a 23-5 record that some think they are the big hits to stand out from the East before Robert Williams fell down with a knee injury. Boston 's biggest star is Jason Tatum. The 24-year-old swinger still feels that his basketball world is in control. Tatum averages 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and is also a key figure in the league's No. 1 defense. Only 3-point shooting percentage dropped (career-low 3-point shooting percentage was 35.1%, with a career-high 8.6 shots per game), which kept him from reaching the top star ranks. Tatum should be the top 10 contenders for the award for the foreseeable future.
6. Ja Morant, Grizzlies
Morant didn't make the leap in the second grade last season as many people expected. From first to second grade, his data quietly went bad in many key categories. If there are any concerns about Morant’s long-term viability for future superstars, he will answer these questions in the third year by speeding up the timeline to now. The 22-year-old has jumped from 19.1 points to 27.6 points per game while setting his most efficient scoring season to date. It happened that Morant turned the Grizzlies into a new high-profile contender, a team that will end the season with the second best record in the NBA. To be fair, a) Morant has played less than 60 games this year, b) Memphis has achieved an amazing 20-3 record in games he does not play. Even if he cheers his team on the bench, there is no doubt that the entire organization revolves around Morant’s special talents. There may not be more exciting players in today’s NBA, nor any better players.
5. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
In the past four years entering this season, Bulls has created the worst record in the NBA. Chicago The newly established management began to make bold changes to change this, exchanging two first-round picks for Nikola Vucevic , signing first and then exchange for Lonzo Ball and Demar DeRozan , and signing Alex Caruso from the Lakers. These moves made the Bulls a great story for the NBA for the first 70% of the season, which tied for the Eastern Conference first in the All-Star Weekend. Chicago collapsed in the "second half" due to successive injuries, but the outstanding performance of DeRozan has always remained unchanged. The Bulls returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, just because he dragged them there.
Drozan played his best season in his career at the age of 32, averaging a career-high 28 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game, with a true shooting percentage of up to 59%. These data failed to capture his outstanding performance at the critical moment: DeRozan leads the league with very efficient shooting, especially as he hits consecutive buzzer-beating balls against Pacers and Wizards in New Year's game. The experienced winger's steady ball possession (his turnover rate is the lowest in his career) and mastery of mid-range pushed the Bulls to the top of the league until the team fell apart by his side. Over the course of a few months, DeRozan has been perhaps the best of being out of “the worst signing in the offseason.” His season reminds everyone: You will never be too old to do better in what you do.
4. Devin Booker , Phoenix Suns
When the Phoenix Suns scored 8-0 in the rematch two seasons ago, Devin Booker formally refuted the allegation of "empty calorie score". This hot momentum is enough to convince Chris Paul to come to Phoenix next year, which led the Suns to break their 10-year playoff draft and magically make it to the NBA Finals. In the process, book printed his superstar on the sport's biggest stage.Somehow, the Suns are even better this year, and so is Booker: He cuts in turnovers, improves defense, and becomes one of the best players in the league at a critical moment. Phoenix will enter the playoffs as a favorite to win the championship, and Booker may be the biggest reason.
Booker averaged 26.7 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, with a real shooting percentage of 57.6%. He is an assassin in all areas of the field, shooting 68% from the field, shooting 46% from the mid-range field and a career-high 39% from three-point shooting. When CP3 was out of the game for six weeks with injuries around the All-Star Game, Booker led the team, shooting 52% from the field in March, averaging 30.1 points per game. It feels like Booker can always come up with the same gorgeous numbers, but the Suns don't need him: this team is a real ensemble in every way, and their backcourt stars are the catalyst for the twins. Booker will lead the trend as the Suns enter the playoffs this year to look for redemption for the championship.
3.Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Last season Embiid led 76ers to rank first in the Eastern Conference and almost won the MVP. After a disappointing second round against Hawks , co-star Ben Simmons decided he would never wear a Philadelphia jersey again. Embiid takes his game to new heights and consolidates himself as one of the most dominant players of his time, thus ensuring his team remains competitive.
All Embiid did this year was to lead the league in scoring (30.4 points per game), while also ranked top five in rebounds and top 10 in blocks per game. As a passer and core of the organization, he has made great progress, setting a career high with an assist rate of 23.9% and a record of turnovers at an all-time low. He also stayed on the court and played the most games of his career. Philadelphia season will eventually be judged by their performance in the playoffs, but Embiid deserves all the credit for letting them keep James Harden long enough by the trade deadline. His combination of figure and skills deserves mention by the greatest player of all time. Someone has to be third in this year’s MVP frontrunners, which feels absolutely a crime, but we think the other two players have performed slightly better in the season.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, forward, Milwaukee Bucks
Even before the Milwaukee Bucks entered last year's playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo had already had the fabulous title of "The Best Player in the World". By the age of 25, he received two MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, but he still lacks the championship ring that really lifts superstars to historic status. When critics wondered if his game could translate to the highest level of the playoffs, Antetokounmpo performed well in the playoffs, recovering from a horrible knee injury, bringing the first NBA title since 1971 to Milwaukee . In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Giannis created one of the greatest games in league history: a masterpiece of 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, ensuring his best place in league history.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks both spent some time finding their best after a brief offseason early this year, but since the calendar flipped into 2022, there is no doubt that the Eastern Conference playoffs will sweep Milwaukee again. Antetokounmpo set a career high (30 points per game), improving his free throw percentage and maintaining his status as the best assist defender in the world. His back-back three-pointer in his overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets felt like a moment of change in his growth: Giannis joked after the game that he didn't want to just "run and dunk" a subtle nod to James Harden's previous criticism. In fact, Antetokounmpo is getting better and better, and now he's really at his peak at the age of 27.
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets season should have ended before it started. As Jamal Murray will miss the entire season recovering from an ACL tear, Nuggets also lost Michael Porter Jr. for the rest of the season and underwent surgery after just nine games. Take away the second and third players of most teams, whose teams may dream of getting table tennis in the lottery. With the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic's absolute strength is enough to drive another playoff game, this time it was somehow improving his historic MVP season a year ago.
There are no Murray and Potter this season, and Jokic himself has become a more reliable scorer. He averaged a career-high 27 points per game and his true shooting percentage reached a historic 66%. Jokic has been rightfully one of the most efficient scorers in league history this season, which is quite remarkable for a player known for passing. Jokic has always grabbed more rebounds than anyone in the league, his defense has continued to improve, and his assist rate has once again ranked among the top five in the league.
He scored 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in the first season in league history.
