Welcome to the MVP Chase, where I look for, or chase, the best objective criteria in determining greatness without personal bias.
Photo: public domain
We're several games past the halfway mark of the NBA season and it's time to check in on the race for the MVP Award.
Whereas I go game-by-game in choosing the NFL MVP, I cannot do so now for the NBA. Instead, I look at three things:
John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
Number of victories in which the player played
Percentage of wins the player played to total team victories.
MVP Chase leader Nikola Jokic leads the NBA in PER. He has also played in 30 of 33 Nuggets victories. Jayson Tatum is tenth in PER, but he's played in 34 of 35 Celtics victories.
Joel Embiid, in contrast, is 2nd in PER but played in just 22 of 29 76er victories. Giannis Antetokounmpo is fourth in PER but has played in just 23 of the 29 Bucks wins. They are both farther down the list than one might expect.
At this point, there are three in a tight race for MVP: Jokic, Tatum, and Luka Doncic. There are seven others competing for two spots to round out the five-name MVP ballot.
Kevin Durant has been injured and his return date is indefinite, The fact that he might drop off the list altogether in a couple of weeks has no bearing on this list.
This NBA MVP Chase ranking is based on games played through January 20, 2023:
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (33-13)
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (34-12)
Luka Donic, Mavericks (25-22)
Kevin Durant, Nets (28-17)
Domantus Sabonis, Kings (26-18)
Ja Morant, Grizzlies (31-14)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (28-19)
Julius Randle, Knicks (25-22)
Joel Emdiid, 76ers (29-16)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (29-16)
James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe), JL Cells (subscribe), Daily Miracles (subscribe), and The Daily Bible Chapter (subscribe). Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.
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