Who are the NBA MVP favourites heading into final stretch of 2022-23 season? | NBA News

There are around 21 games left in the regular season before the playoffs and play-in tournaments get under way in April. Before that though, there’s still the small matter of deciding which player will be the MVP.

Nikola Jokic

Anyone who might have doubted Nikola Jokic’s ability to defend his MVP status for a third year in a row might be feeling a little foolish right now.

What once felt like an unattainable feat for the Serb to achieve is now within reaching distance.

Not just because he’s led his team to the top of the Western Conference. Or that he’s meant to be taking on a reduced role now that Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr have returned from long-term injury absences, and still produces comical stats.

It’s because he’s notched a whopping 21 triple-doubles so far, averaging one in every game he plays (24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists). To put that in perspective, the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic is second with 11, and no other player has more than six.

It says a lot about his selfless character that his most impressive trait is never failing to provide for others, whether that’s Murray or Aaron Gordon. He can pass just as well as he dunks, and that is something that Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Wilt Chamberlain all had in abundance.

Jayson Tatum

The Celtics remain atop the Eastern Conference despite several injury hits to their defence for one reason only: Jayson Tatum.

He’s already won the All-Star MVP, notching a historic 55 points for Team Giannis in Salt Lake City while competing against his Celtic team-mate Jaylen Brown.

Though it may not seem as legitimate to win it in an exhibition clash, there’s an interesting stat about the All-Star MVP going on to claim the NBA MVP, as well as the championship itself. Just take a look at Stephen Curry last year, and Giannis in 2021.

Tatum could add his name to that list, but Jokic does stand firmly in his way.

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid is up against Jokic for the third year in a row, and it seems like he will miss out on the MVP title once again.

The biggest difference here has to be between the franchises. The Nuggets have created a platform for their superstar to shine, whereas the Sixers are still juggling their best players.

Tyrese Maxey vies for that position but still has a way to go in his development, while James Harden has a proclivity for calling himself a ‘free agent’ any time things don’t go his way.

Embiid is where their collective focus should be. He’s captured two successive Eastern Conference Player of the Month honours for December and January, averaging a league-high 34.9 points, 10.7 assists and 3.2 assists per game, and he keeps the defense ticking over. A worthy inclusion in our standings, but will he be able to contend with Jokic?

Giannis Antetokounmpo

If it was not for the injuries, our projections for Giannis would be far loftier. But between the knee troubles and extended wrist pains, the risks of putting him higher than third are too prominent.

He’s still a deserving pick. Averaging 31.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, playing a pivotal role in his team’s 14-game active winning streak from attack to defence. There’s very little the ‘Greek Freak’ cannot do when he’s fully fit.

Pair that with the fact the Milwaukee Bucks are on the cusp of dethroning the Boston Celtics from the top spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to his contributions and it would not be surprising if, despite the missed games, he still somehow usurped Jokic.

Luka Doncic

Doncic once said he would much rather win a championship than the MVP – which is great because that’s what he might have to settle for this year.

Even more so since the bigger picture for Dallas substantially changed in the last few months. The franchise looked on a downward spiral but they made an an offer the Brooklyn Nets could not say no before the trade window closed: Kyrie Irving.

Now, the chase is very much on, led by the league’s most explosive frontcourt duo.

Doncic has made his case for it, and the top scorer conversations from the onset of the season, by scoring at least 30 points in the first seven games of the season – a feat that had only been accomplished three times previously, twice by Chamberlain and once by Jack Twyman. He then capped it off in December with a historic 60-21-10 triple-double against the New York Knicks.

Now buoyed by a more convincing support act, the video game numbers could start to flow again, giving Jokic, Embiid and Giannis a little more to think about.