Top 5 early challengers for the Kia NBA MVP award in the 2021-2022 season
The Kia NBA MVP award is the highest individual honor that a player can receive in the NBA regular season.
With the 2021 offseason around the corner, teams have started to restrategize in order to become championship contenders in the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
Although the NBA Finals are still ongoing, the 28 other teams in the league have already started preparations for the new season. Players are also mentally preparing for the upcoming campaign and are looking to impress for a chance to win the coveted Kia NBA MVP award.
Nikola Jokic defied the odds to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP award after putting up stellar performances for the entire season. As we gear up for the new campaign, the slates are wiped, and every NBA player has an opportunity to win the award.
With that in mind, here are the top five early challengers for the Kia NBA MVP award in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#5 Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic became the first second-round pick to win the NBA MVP award in the league's history. He is also the first Serbian to win the award.
Jokic unlocked unreal levels for the Denver Nuggets during the 2020-21 season. The big man led the team in points, assists, steals, and rebounds.
The 25-year-old showed off his versatility and durability in the 2020-21 season. He featured in all 72 regular-season games, playing the second-most minutes behind Jamal Murray. In the playoffs, he featured in all ten games for the Denver Nuggets before the Phoenix Suns brought out the broom in the second round.
Jokic will be looking for an encore and might win the Kia MVP award for the second consecutive season if he can replicate his past performance.
#4 Stephen Curry
With Klay Thompson's imminent return, the Golden State Warriors will hope to be in title contention next season.
Stephen Curry was the scoring champion for the 2020-21 NBA season and was a finalist for the Kia NBA MVP award. However, low production from his supporting cast resulted in the Warriors missing the playoffs.
Curry is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen and has consistently delivered the goods for the Golden State Warriors.
With some of the offensive burden shared with Thompson, he will explode for another monster season that could earn him the Kia NBA MVP award.