Kia NBA MVP Race: December 13th, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda
The two players who have been NBA MVP favorites since the season began, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, have both had below-average weeks. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has gained serious MVP traction, while players like Jimmy Butler and Paul George have fallen off the race.
NBA MVP Tracker via @bball_ref:
Curry 22.9%,
Giannis 22.6%
Jokic 22.5% https://t.co/Wn4b2Ga3jH
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are both off the top five of the race as well, because they are sidelined. The Bulls have the risk of losing a bunch of games because 10 players on the roster are under COVID-19 protocols, including the two NBA MVP candidates. The NBA has postponed Chicago's next two games.
Chris Paul makes an appearance in our NBA MVP power rankings because his exploits can no longer be ignored, and the rest of the candidates don't have compelling cases anymore.
Here's the top five of the NBA MVP Power Rankings by Sportskeeda.
No. 5: Chris Paul
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - N/A
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 25; Games won - 21; Games lost - 4
Last Week: PPG - 14.3, APG - 10.0, RPG - 3.0
Overall: PPG - 14.4, APG - 10.2, RPG - 3.9
Last Week: BPG - 1.0, SPG - 1.0
Overall: BPG - 0.4, SPG - 2.0
Chris Paul's MVP case is shaky because the league loves volume scorers. He is averaging a career-low 14.4 points per game which, needless to say, is underwhelming. However, he makes a case for the award based on his playmaking and ability to elevate the team. Paul is leading the NBA in assists per game with 10.2 a night while maintaining his eye for stealing the ball with 2.0 per game. The Phoenix Suns have the best record in the NBA, at 21-4, and CP3 is the major reason for it.
Here’s why I say that Chris Paul should be in the MVP conversation! Don’t @ me and Carry the hell on... #NBATODAY https://t.co/NHHTdf6zo8
No. 4: Nikola Jokic
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 4th (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 26; Games won - 13; Games lost - 13
Last Week: PPG - 28.3, APG - 11.0, RPG - 13.3
Overall: PPG - 26.5, APG - 7.2, RPG - 13.5
Last Week: FG% - 55.4%, SPG - 1.5
Overall: FG% - 58.2%, SPG - 1.2
Nikola Jokic's MVP case hinges on his team winning games, and so far that isn't a possible scenario. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are both likely out for the season, and the Denver Nuggets are .500 so far with a 13-13 record. The award has never gone to a player on a losing team, so regardless of his personal numbers, Jokic will not receive enough votes.
Ok, I got one.
In Nikola Jokic's last 7 games, the Nuggets are:
+189 when he's on the court.
-188 when he's off the court.
He is still arguably the most valuable player in the NBA based on pure value. The Nuggets are horrendously bad when he is off the floor and incredibly good when he is on the court. Jokic also leads the NBA in most advanced stats, like box plus-minus, PER and several others.