Mar 16 MVP ladder update: where does Nikola Jokic rank?
By Ben Handler
We’re now less than a month away from the end of the NBA regular season, and the big picture is starting to come into focus. That includes the MVP race, which has become steady and unchanging recently.
Where does Jokic rank?
Michael C. Wright of NBA.com releases his weekly Kia MVP Ladder, with the latest installment coming out Saturday morning. To nobody’s surprise, Nikola Jokic topped the charts for the seventh straight week - since Joel Embiid suffered his meniscus injury.
Jokic has taken a stranglehold over the award with the competition unable to encroach on his territory despite their own stellar play. Jokic has been amazing all season and has somehow picked up his game recently, which has helped the Nuggets go 11-1 since the All-Star break.
Jokic has averaged a 25 points triple-double in that span, and Denver has moved to the top of the Western Conference standings. There are no bounds to what the Joker is capable of doing on a basketball court.
Who else is in the running?
For the seventh straight week, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds the number two spot on the MVP ladder. His Oklahoma City Thunder are battling with the Nuggets for the one seed in the West. And for the sixth straight week, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks comes in third.
The only change in the top five came at the bottom of the ladder as Luka Doncic of the Mavericks leapfrogged Jayson Tatum of the Celtics. Doncis came in fourth this week while Tatum is at fifth. Doncic and Tatum have each held the fourth and fifth spots for three of the past six weeks.
Despite the way Jokic seems to be cruising toward this award, he’s just a -280 favorite, which doesn’t suggest an insurmountable lead. If SGA can put together a strong final month and push his team to the number one seed in the West this may become a conversation.
But for now, it’s Jokic’s award to lose. It would be the third MVP award in the last four years for the big Serbian 29-year-old. He won the award for the 2020-21 season and the 2021-22 season, then came in second place to Joel Embiid for the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player award.
