On Thursday, January 26, 2023, while most sports fans were fixated on NFL Conference Championship Weekend, the NBA announced an under-the-radar news that got swept under the carpet. The news report was that the Most Valuable Player Award was rebranded and named in honor of the greatest basketball player, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. There I said it! Michael won five MVP awards in his illustrious career. and as David Stern declared in 1992, “You are simply the standard by which basketball excellence is measured.” The rebranding means that the player who wins the 2022-23 award will walk away with the Michael Jordan MVP Trophy. That has a nice ring to it! The good thing about this season is that the race will likely come down to the wire in a wide-open contest. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 candidates for basketball’s most coveted individual prize.
5. Luka Doncic- Doncic is arguably the best scorer on this list because after 52 games, he is averaging 33.1 points and at one point in the season hovered at 33.3 points per game. Jason Kidd has given the ultra-talented player the license to attack and create offense for his teammates. Doncic has a knack for playing at his own pace, lulling defenders to sleep and then dazzling with an array of scoring finishes. However, he is at number 5 on this list because an MVP still needs a good team around them, and the Mavericks are searching for the right combinations. At the deadline, Mark Cuban pulled the trigger in acquiring the brilliant but controversial superstar, Kyrie Irving. The team is still flawed, and its clear from their 4-4 record in the last eight games. Still, they cling to the 6th spot in the west because of Luka Doncic, and without him, they are a lottery team at best.
4. Joel Embiid-Embiid often plays the victim card when talking about the MVP voting process. Last season, he felt he should have won the award, and now he is making another case. Embiid is averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists which are incredible stats for the big man. Embiid continues to lay down a legacy for a Sixer player because, on February 15, 2023, he became the player to reach the 10,000 points mark for the franchise in the shortest number of games. Embiid moved past the milestone playing 373 games less than Allen Iverson. Let that sink in! The problem for Embiid is that his team is not as good compared to the Celtics and Bucks, who are 4-1 against the Sixers. The Sixers did beat the Nuggets on their home floor, but a big test lies ahead in March and April when they travel to Mile High and face Boston and Milwaukee for four games. If Embiid can excel in those games head-to-head contest and grab wins, then he could surge to the top of the heap.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo-Giannis is a two-time winner of the regular MVP Award and is looking to grab his third in 2023. Giannis is averaging 31.3 points, 12.0 rebounds 5.4 assists in 48 games with the Bucks. The Greek Freak is probably the most un-guardable player in this list because of his size, strength, and physicality. Also, the Bucks are the hottest team in the league having won 14 straight games. Before the All-Star break, Giannis recorded 33 or more points in the last 11 games while snatching 10 or more rebounds. However, the only drawback to Giannis is his health situation because he has missed 11 games so far this season. It will be interesting to see how long he will remain sidelined with a nagging wrist injury. I have the Bucks’ big man not winning the award based on too many games missed.
2. Jayson Tatum-the 2023 NBA All-Star MVP, Jayson Tatum proved that he deserves to be in the spotlight and earn recognition because of his all-round brilliance. Tatum is averaging 30.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game as he climbs into the legitimate discussion of the MVP award. Tatum has shown growth and maturity by being a bonafide scorer at all three levels, able to defend at a high level, and improved in facilitating for his teammates. Tatum also has a flair for the dramatics with clutch buckets for the Celtics. However, as an honest Celtics fan, at times Tatum has very flat performances in which he struggles to score the basketball. If he is to win the award this season, Jayson needs to prevent his low performances from falling too flat in big games down the stretch of the season. However, I give him the nod over Giannis because he has missed only 4 of the 61 games this season.
1. Nikola Jokic-the Joker is the back-to-back reigning MVP and is in pole position to win his third straight award. Jokic is averaging 24.8 points, 11.7 points, and 10.0 assists. Jokic is a coach’s dream because he has the dual ability to score and be a playmaker for his teammates at an incredibly high level. Another incredible stat is that Jokic has 23 triple-doubles so far in the season and is on pace to become the third behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook to average a triple-double for the season. However, the Joker’s critics will point out that he lacks flair and should not be considered for the award because his teams have not made it to the NBA Finals. The criticism is non-sense because it is a regular season award, and in previous seasons he dragged the team to the playoffs without a healthy Jamal Murray and the inconsistent health of Michael Porter Jr. A healthy squad this season has a 5.5 games lead over the Grizzlies and just two games in the loss column behind the best record in the league.