The discourse around the NBA MVP Award hasn’t been as loud and toxic this season as in years past, but that may change over the stretch run. In recent weeks, and maybe even months, whether right or wrong, there has been a growing sense that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the heavy favorite to win the honor for the first time.
Despite all that Nikola Jokic has done for the Nuggets this season, voter fatigue, the Thunder’s team record, and legacy narratives have made SGA the overwhelming favorite. He has been atop the NBA.com MVP ladder for weeks and his lead in betting markets has grown as his team keeps winning and his efficient scoring keeps up.
At a certain point, it almost felt inevitable, and yet, Jokic simply won’t go away. All the while, he has just continued to put up ridiculous statlines, averaging a supremely efficient triple-double while the Nuggets have climbed all the way in the two seed in the Western Conference despite no other all-stars on the team and injuries up and down the roster.
Jokic passes SGA for top spot on MVP ladder
As the calendar flips to March, perhaps the narrative is starting to change and Jokic’s value has become too great to deny. For NBA.com’s latest MVP ladder, Shaun Powell has moved Jokic up to the number one spot, passing SGA, who fell to second for the first time in months.
While Jokic has the Nuggets surging, he put up eight triple-doubles in 14 February games and also added a career-high 19-assist game Monday against the Pacers. Gilegous-Alexander hasn’t fallen off or even had a bad week, Jokic’s play has just been so dynamic and overpowering that took a slight lead in this race.
Luckily for fans, these two will face each other on back-to-back nights just over a week from now. The Thunder and Nuggets are slated to play two games in OKC that will give fans a great chance to watch these two great players go head-to-head. Remember, MVP is a narrative-driven award; if one of these guys can make a resounding statement in this miniseries, it could go a long way in deciding the final voting.
Tatum and LeBron move up the ladder
In some other notable moves, Jayson Tatum finally passed Giannis Antetokounmpo for the number three spot on the ladder. The Celtics have been playing great basketball recently, while Giannis has been working his way back from injury.
And LeBron James made his debut in the top five as the Lakers are one of the hottest teams in the league. All the talk has been about newly-acquired Luka Doncic, but so far it has been James who has taken his game to another level.