The NBA MVP Race
The NBA season is two months strong and already looking to be a thriller. There are many players who are having a great season and making a case to be considered for the coveted MVP award. Let’s look at the top three picks for 2023…
Jayson Tatum
Debatably the most likely player to win the award, 24-year-old Jayson Tatum has been impressive this season for the Boston Celtics. He is averaging 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists this season and after dropping 44 points in a comeback win over the Lakers in their last game, he has proven time and time again that he is the one of the best in the team.
Thanks to injuries to the Celtics’ centre Robert Williams, Tatum has been playing in the power forward position. This is not his primary position as he is primarily a small forward. This hasn’t stopped him from going up against the most physical players in the league, when physicality was his biggest doubt coming into the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo has fallen in favour in terms of MVP votes, as he was previously held at a higher regard than Tatum. His Milwaukee Bucks team have struggled in the past few games, however, despite this he has been on a 30-point scoring streak over eight games. He is averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, which is better statistically than Tatum, but their teams have an equal winning record. Having said that, the Bucks have lost two of their last three games, so Antetokounmpo’s stock has fallen in the MVP race.
Antetokounmpo already has two MVP trophies in his cabinet, that he won after worse statistical seasons. This may give the impression that Antetokounmpo is the consensus winner this year, but the biggest factor holding him back is voters' fatigue, which is when voters don’t vote for a player who has already won the award multiple times.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is a player that many counted out in the lead up to this season, based off the bad chemistry within the Brooklyn Nets squad. Durant has proven that the chemistry of the team doesn’t matter as he is averaging 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. In addition, while averaging 32 points with a shot efficiency of 60% in his last 10 games, he has led his team to win eight matches during that period.
The Nets are fourth in the league, which is a great feat considering Durant's’ teammate, Kyrie Irving has missed most of the season thanks to a hate speech-based suspension, while Ben Simmons has only averaged eight points a game. Having said that, Durant leading the team to this degree is more than MVP worthy.