- We've ranked the top 7 NBA MVP candidates about a third of the way into the season.
- The race seems more wide open than usual this year.
- Kevin Durant is ahead of Stephen Curry, as he leads the NBA in scoring and carries the Nets.
We are about a third of the way through the NBA season, and the MVP race is becoming clearer.
In what looks like a wide-open league, the MVP race looks similar: there are some contenders, but the trophy looks up for grabs.
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry lead our list, but players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic are having incredible statistical seasons and carrying their teams and are also in the mix.
We did not include anyone from the 23-5 Phoenix Suns because it became too difficult to parse between Devin Booker and Chris Paul. While Paul has played many more games and minutes than Booker, Booker is having the better statistical season and the team has played worse without him. Ultimately, their greatness cancels out each other's odds of winning MVP.
We broke down the top 7 candidates below (with stats rounded to the nearest whole number).
7. LeBron James, F
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Age: 36
2021-22 stats: 26 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 50% FG, 36% 3FG
MVP case: It's been a bumpy start to the season for James and the Lakers, but the four-time MVP is starting to turn it on. The Lakers are 7-3 over their last 10 games, while James is averaging a cool 29-7-8 (rounded) during that span. The Lakers are marginally beating teams when James plays and losing when he sits, which is more than can be said for his star teammates, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers are 11-6 when James plays and 5-7 when he doesn't. Missed games are the only thing hurting the MVP case of a player who is still a game-changing force this late into his career.
6. DeMar DeRozan, F
Team: Chicago Bulls
Age: 32
2021-22 stats: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 50% FG, 33% 3FG
MVP case: Though his signing was met with mixed reactions, DeRozan has been a proven difference-maker for the Bulls. Playing a career-high 72% of his minutes at power forward and 19% of his minutes at center, DeRozan is putting together the second most efficient scoring season of his career. He's formed a dynamic crunch-time scoring duo with Zach LaVine and has infused a growing Bulls team with confidence. Proving to be a legitimate threat in the East, the Bulls have outscored opponents by 8.8 points per 100 possessions with DeRozan on the floor and have gotten crushed when he's not.
5. Rudy Gobert, C
Team: Utah Jazz
Age: 29
2021-22 stats: 15 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 74% FG
MVP case: The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is putting together his best offensive season. Gobert's rim runs and tremendous finishing inside (82% from 0-3 feet) are key parts of Utah's league-leading offense. And, of course, his impact cannot truly be summarized on defense. Yes, opponents are only shooting 39% when Gobert challenges a shot. However, stats don't capture the number of times Gobert shuts down the paint altogether, forcing opponents to retreat to the perimeter and take a different shot. Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle recently called Gobert one of the best defenders of all time. The Jazz are 12-2 over their last 14 games and outscored opponents by 208 points with Gobert on the floor — the best mark on the team.
4. Nikola Jokic, C
Team: Denver Nuggets
Age: 26
2021-22 stats: 27 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 59% FG, 38% 3FG
MVP case: If Steph Curry earned MVP consideration last year for carrying a subpar squad to borderline relevance, then Jokic deserves the same this year. The reigning MVP is putting up never-before-seen numbers when factoring in an absurd 64% effective field goal percentage. The Nuggets are without Jokic's co-star Jamal Murray, and they lost rising star Michael Porter Jr. for the season — yet they're still in the playoff race. With Jokic on the court, the Nuggets are beating teams at a rate that would make them the best team in the NBA. They have a scoring margin worse than the 5-24 Orlando Magic when he sits. No player is doing more for his team this season.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, F/C
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 27
2021-22 stats: 27 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 53% FG
MVP case: The Bucks have rarely had a full squad this year due to injuries and COVID-19, but they are still 13-3 over their last 16, and the reigning Finals MVP is a big reason why. Antetokounmpo stakes a claim as the game's best two-way player. He is a lethal weakside rim-protector and continues to find a balance between creating on offense and being a devastating finisher. With Antetokounmpo on the floor, the Bucks boast a top-five offense and top-three defense. Meanwhile, they've been outscored by 7 points per 100 possessions when he sits. He is the glue holding together a contender and perhaps the NBA's most complete team.
2. Stephen Curry, G
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 33
2021-22 stats: 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 43% FG, 40% 3FG
MVP case: Curry raced out to the lead in this year's MVP race, but a cold-ish December has resulted in numbers slightly lower than his usual standard. Still, the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter is the head of the league's best team this season. Curry remains a unique offensive force in the league, as devastating creating with the ball in his hands as he is moving off of it. He is on pace to shatter his record for most made 3s in a season, and we can bet his shooting percentages will tick back up as the season goes on. Curry is a more complete player than he was five years ago, and the Warriors' increasingly legit title chances revolve around his ability to frazzle opponents.
1. Kevin Durant, F
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Age: 33
2021-22 stats: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 52% FG, 38% 3fG
MVP case: After a slow start, the Nets have assumed first place in the East, and it's because of Durant's dominance. Durant is leading the NBA in scoring and doing it on remarkable efficiency, considering the difficulty of his shots (some of which he seems to take as a personal challenge). But Durant has also been the best version of himself this season — a capable playmaker and a long, scrambling defender. As Nets writer Devin Kharpetian put it, Durant makes basketball look like a game designed specifically for him. Most impressive is that Durant has had little help this season: James Harden has had a subpar year, Kyrie Irving is not playing, and Joe Harris was slumping before an injury. The Nets' third-best player has been ... Patty Mills? 36-year-old LaMarcus Aldridge? They still look like the team to beat in the East because Durant is the game's most dominant player.