It’s never too early to start keeping track of the top NBA MVP candidates.
Through one month of this shortened season, these are the top five candidates to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP.
Top 5 NBA MVP Candidates
5. Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is known as perhaps the best two-way player in the entire NBA. His play style is not flashy, but it is effective and efficient. This season, Leonard is flirting with a 50/40/90 shooting split. If Leonard can keep his efficient shooting high and continue to win games for the Los Angeles Clippers, he could find himself catapulted to MVP discussion at the end of the season. The biggest hinderance to Leonard’s MVP campaign will be his health. Leonard has never played a full regular season in his career (his best was 74 games in 2016-17).
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak may be having a down year, but the two-time MVP remains primed to three-peat. The biggest obstacle in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s way is the way the Milwaukee Bucks reconstructed their roster in the offseason. The Bucks clearly wanted to focus on the defensive side of the court when they traded for former All-Star Jrue Holiday. The Bucks continue to remain a top defense in the league, but they lost offensive weapons that helped spread the floor.
With the roster constructed as it is today, the Bucks’ title odds are much better compared to last year, provided they play their top-seven players more during the playoffs. An increase in title odds may hurt Giannis’ MVP chances, but you can never quite count him out.
3. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA, if not the best. Now that he is surrounded by James Harden and Kyrie Irving, he is a part of another all-time great big three. With 30.4 ppg, Durant is second in the league in scoring (Bradley Beal, 34.5ppg). Many believe Durant to be the leader of the Brooklyn Nets, and if/when the Nets begin to win more games, Durant’s value will continue to skyrocket. The story surrounding such a strong comeback will make him an intriguing candidate for MVP, as well as Comeback Player of the Year.
2. Joel Embiid
Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Joel Embiid is having an MVP-caliber season. Up for 27.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, Embiid is putting together the beginning of a career-year. He has also been red hot from three-point range, shooting 40.5% from behind the arc. Not bad for a seven-footer. The Sixers upgraded their head coaching spot when they brought in Doc Rivers. The new system and return of Ben Simmons has the Philadelphia 76ers competing for the No. 1 seed in the East.
With Embiid as the driving force behind the 76ers’ early surge to start the season, he is a prime NBA MVP candidate.
1. Nikola Jokić
If the season were to end today, there is no doubt who would be the favorite to win MVP. Nikola Jokić has been on another level. Almost averaging a triple-double as a big man (25.4ppg, 11.9rpg and 9.3apg) Jokić has been the life, blood and soul of the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have won four straight games and have climbed from 10th to fourth in the Western Conference during the streak. The return of Michael Porter Jr. means Jokić will have a stronger cast around him, and the team could make a push towards a top-3 seed in the Western Conference.
