Category: NBA Column Iceland

Ranking NBA MVP Prospects for 2022-2023

 

This season, there is more parity in the NBA than ever before. Less than six games separate the ten Western Conference play-in teams. In the East, a more distinct tier of contenders is emerging, but the five significant seeds are all within five games of each other.

 

A tense season has also resulted in a tight MVP competition. Nikola Jokic has won the MVP award the last two years and is attempting to become the league’s first three-time winner since Larry Bird. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry are also vying for their third MVP this season while playing for opposing clubs at the bottom of the standings. Then three young superstars have firmly established themselves among the league’s best this season: Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant, all of whom are 24 years old or younger and have spent the season each crafting a solid MVP case for themselves.

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As 2023 approaches, here are our picks for the top ten NBA MVP prospects for 2022-2023.

 

10. Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, (C)

Davis has been unable to put together a healthy and productive season since helping the Lakers win the championship on the verge of elimination in 2020. This year, it appeared as if that would change: AD was playing some of the greatest basketball of his career into December, shifting to center, cutting out longer jump attempts, and thriving as an interior scorer and defender. Davis had fully recovered to become one of the finest players in the world when he was injured again.

 

A stress injury in his foot will keep him out until January, jeopardizing the Lakers’ playoff chances. Davis’ ability to be the best version of himself has always been the only thing that could genuinely save the Lakers. This season has demonstrated how vulnerable that proposition is even when he’s dominating like his former self.

 

9. Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker (G)

Booker overcame accusations of ’empty calorie scoring’ by steadily developing on both ends of the floor year after year. With an aging Chris Paul and so much turmoil surrounding the Suns entering the season, Booker’s consistently excellent play has been the primary reason Phoenix has remained at the top of the Western Conference. He’s been a fantastic three-level scorer for numerous years, but this version of Booker feels entirely at ease in his skin. He has counters for every coverage and can get to his positions like a pro. It’s hard to think it’s been five years since Booker scored 70 points in a game at 26. It’s even more difficult to imagine he’s only getting better.

 

8. Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (G)

Morant has developed into one of the NBA’s top players while retaining the jaw-dropping daring that has made him the league’s most exciting talent. No other player in history may possess such a unique combination of athleticism, playmaking, and individual scoring. The 23-year-old guard believes he can physically leap over any difficulty on the court, and he’s usually correct. Memphis boasts two true co-stars in Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. and plenty of depth, but Morant remains the lone star allowing the Grizzlies to dream of reaching the NBA Finals. Morant and Memphis aren’t just “next.” They’ve arrived.

 

7. Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (G)

Curry is only a few months away from turning 35, and he is at a time in his career when he should be slowing down. Instead, the Warriors’ superstar appears to be as good as he has ever been. Curry added to his all-time resume with a storming run through the playoffs last season, earning his fourth ring and first Finals MVP honor. Golden State struggled to get off to a good start this season due to player turnover and locker room strife, but Curry has kept them afloat by putting up numbers comparable to his unanimous MVP season in 2016.

 

Curry would have been a strong contender for No. 1 on this list if it hadn’t been for a shoulder injury that will keep him out until at least the first week of January. The NBA has many new stars on the rise, but until further notice, this is still Steph’s league.

 

6. Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (F)

The Greek Freak is the only player in the NBA who routinely provides a higher level of play on both sides of the floor. This season, Antetokounmpo has the highest scoring average of his career (31.2 points per game) while remaining the league’s most terrifying defender. While his scoring efficiency has fallen this season — his 58.9 percent true shooting is his lowest since his age-21 season — his battering ram mentality to hitting the basket has kept him as prolific as ever. I still believe Giannis is the best player in the world, but his shooting percentages have dropped across the board this season. If he finds another gear as the Bucks become healthy, he has a good chance of winning his third MVP award and leading Milwaukee to its second championship.

 

5. Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (C)

Embiid has finished second in MVP voting each of the last two seasons, trailing Nikola Jokic, and there’s a case to be made that he’s playing at his best level yet this season. Embiid has the highest-scoring average of his career and the highest-scoring efficiency. There’s no stopping him: he’s a dominant post-scorer, a lethal mid-range shooter, and an expert at getting to the foul line and making free throws. So far this season, Embiid has one of the highest usage rates in league history, and he’s just getting more effective and efficient with his touches.

 

It’s impressive that Embiid can still captain the defense while carrying such a huge offensive load. Embiid’s excellent paint protection is the foundation of Philadelphia’s No. 3 overall defense. As a shot blocker, he’s one of the league’s most imposing forces near the rim, and he also possesses exceptional hands to knock the ball away from offensive players. Only Jokic had more steals per game than the other starting centers. Embiid appeared to work himself into shape at start of the season but has been a powerhouse for the Sixers ever since. His MVP case was getting stronger by the week. This year’s competition is tougher, but so is Embiid. He’s everything you could want in a franchise star.

 

4. Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (F)

It’s easy to dismiss Tatum’s MVP candidacy as the most outstanding player on the best team in basketball, but it would be a disservice to the season he’s having. Tatum is averaging the most points per game (31 PPG) and scoring efficiency (61.3 percent true shooting) of his career for a Boston team with the best offense in the league. Tatum has evolved into a complete scorer: he’s a rising three-point shooter who can pull up from anywhere on the court, he’s lethal in the pick-and-roll when he gets going downhill, and he’s made significant strides in terms of drawing fouls. It’s quite tricky to match up with someone of this caliber. Matching up with someone so skilled at 6’8 is extremely difficult, and Tatum has been putting opposition opponents in that impossible bind all season.

 

Tatum’s career has felt like a steady rise to the league’s top. He’s only 24 years old, yet he’s already made three road trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and made it to the NBA Finals last season. While the Celtics fell two victories short of a title last season, they are even better this season, and Tatum is a key part of their success. Is Tatum the NBA’s top player? No, but he’s constantly climbing those fictitious ranks. Tatum’s superstardom will be put to the ultimate test in the playoffs when he’ll try to rebound from a dismal showing in the 2022 NBA Finals. It may not be time to crown Tatum yet, but if he continues to improve at this rate, it will be soon.

 

3. Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić (G)

Doni is on his way to becoming one of the best players at 23. Doni has less help than any other player on this list after the Mavericks let Jalen Brunson depart in the offseason, but he’s kept Dallas afloat since no guy alive can lead an offense on his own. Doni, who stands 6’7 and weighs 230 pounds, possesses excellent ball handling abilities, long shooting range, impeccable touch, and the vision to make any pass on the floor. He easily compensates for what he lacks in top-end speed and leaping ability with sheer power, old-school craft, and the increasingly plausible notion that he can pull off any move on the court.

 

It’s almost impossible to believe Doni made another leap this season unless you realize how young he is. Without Brunson, Doni has the highest usage rate in the league and is generating career highs in scoring volume and efficiency. Doni has gotten more efficient with a historic workload on his shoulders, proving to be unstoppable even as every opposing defense loads up to stop him. It’s easy to call out Doni’s lack of top athleticism or three-point shooting (he’s making 35% of his threes for the third year in a row), but that only adds to his production. Doni has been compared to James Harden, but that comparison ignores that his game improves, not deteriorates, in the playoffs. He is already the most threatening individual matchup in the sport, and he’s only 23 years old. Seeing Luka is like witnessing greatness in motion. He’ll win this award one day, possibly several times, but the question is whether the Mavericks will win enough games to give him the hardware this year.

 

2. Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant (F)

Durant’s place among the game’s all-time greats was already established well before the start of this season, but at the age of 34, he’s experiencing one of the best seasons of his historic career. KD didn’t get his wish when he asked the Nets for a trade over the summer, partly because Brooklyn didn’t get a decent enough offer for him, and he’s responded by reminding the NBA that he’s still in the running for the best player alive. Throughout the season’s first several weeks, the Nets were a shambles, with Kyrie Irving spreading anti-Semitic propaganda on social media and the organization sacking head coach Steve Nash following a 1-5 start. Since then, Brooklyn has been one of the top teams in the league, thanks entirely to Durant’s skill.

 

So far, Durant is scoring 30 points per game on an incredible 56 percent shooting from the field, a career-high. KD is taking or making fewer three-pointers than he used to (37 percent on 4.8 attempts per game), but he’s evolved into the best mid-range scorer. Durant is hitting 62.4 percent of his two-point attempts, primarily by shooting shots opposing defenses want to give up. They cannot stop him from creating them. KD is also shown his ability as a facilitator on a Nets team that leads the NBA in three-point percentage. Did we mention he’s also a great defender? With a new generation of superstars driving the game forward, it appeared like Durant’s time atop the NBA’s hierarchy would be finished, yet he’s still as good as anyone alive. Nets have gone from disaster to one of the top teams in East, all because of the player they refused to move this offseason.

 

1. Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (C)

Even if he played like the best player in basketball once again, it would always be impossible for Nikola Jokic to earn another MVP this season. No one has won three consecutive NBA MVPs since Larry Bird in 1984-86, partly due to voters’ desire to establish new narratives by proclaiming a different champion. That appears to be happening again this season, as the source asked 100 NBA writers to cast a mid-December ballot. Only one person voted for Jokic as MVP first. Voter fatigue must be real because as the season approaches 2023, a more objective assessment, such as Basketball-MVP Reference’s Tracker, now offers Jokic a 44 percent chance of winning MVP this season for the second time.

 

Why should Nikola Jokic win MVP for the third time in a row? The simple response is that it’s time to recognize he’s the best basketball player alive. Jokic, a 6’11, 285-pound behemoth, combines enormous bulk and strength with possibly the best skill level of any player on the planet. He’s the best passing big man in history and one of the best passers in any position.

 

He’s a highly efficient scorer, averaging over 25 points per game while posting an insane 68.6 accurate shooting %. Despite his slow feet, his quick hands and razor-sharp placement make him an asset on defense. There is no way to stop Jokic because he is too large, intelligent, and good.

 

Jokic was named MVP a year ago after leading the Nuggets to a 48-win season despite missing his top two teammates, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. 

 

With both easing back into the lineup this year and an improved defensive cast surrounding him, Jokic has propelled the Nuggets to the top of the Western Conference. This is his big chance to show that he can lead a club deep into the playoffs, if not to the championship. Voters may not want to admit it, but Jokic feels like the NBA’s Most Valuable Player all over again.

 

Top 5 Players With Most NBA All-Star Game MVP Honors

 

Every year, after the NBA All-Star Game, a panel of media members votes for the “Most Valuable Player” of the game. While the All-Star MVP award is little more than official bragging rights, the feeling of being the hottest scorer under the brightest lights does come with a real sense of pride.

While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has played in 18 All-Star games in his career, he has yet to win the MVP once, while Adrian Smith won the hardware in his only All-Star game. The coveted game of the season is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago.

Before Saturday night’s festivities, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league had renamed the All-Star Game MVP award in honor of the late Kobe Bryant. This article will examine the five NBA superstars with the most All-Star MVP honors.

 

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#5 LeBron James – 3

The 2020 All-Star Weekend will see LeBron James make a record 16 consecutive appearances, and, as a result, he also leads the league in scoring during the All-Star Game. James was named conference captain since the format change, and his team has tasted victory both times.

LeBron has managed to bag three All-Star Game MVPs so far (2006, 2008, 2018), most recently with a mesmerizing performance of 29 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists in a 148- 145 to beat Team Stephen Curry. In all MVP-winning games, the Kings never scored less than 27 points. As an exciting trivia recap, Cleveland’s James started in 2008 with Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Toronto’s Chris Bosh.

In his 17th NBA regular season, LeBron James has 12 triple-doubles so far. He’s averaging 25 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists (a league-leading) this year while shooting 49 percent from the field.

 

 

#4 Michael Jordan – 3

Michael Jordan was a 14-time All-Star when he retired. During the 1988 All-Star break, he dropped 40 points to announce his arrival on the world basketball stage and earn MVP honors, the first of his career.

In 1996, he was outplayed by Shaquille O’Neal in the All-Star Game but still won the MVP award. It was his return to the All-Star game after missing a season with minor league baseball. He last won the All-Star MVP award in 1998, the season before he retired, not returning until 2001 with the Washington Wizards.

Overall, his presence is enough to raise the bar for this game.

 

 

#3 Shaquille O’Neal – 3

Shaquille O’Neal made 15 All-Star appearances (seven with the Lakers). He won three All-Star Game MVP honors in 2000 (shared with Tim Duncan), 2004, and 2009 (shared with Kobe Bryant).

The only time he didn’t share his MVP trophy was in 2004 when Big Diesel dropped 24 points & grabbed 11 rebounds in a 136-132 West win.

O’Neal retired as a four-time champion and three-time Finals MVP, but his breezy performance during the All-Star break put a smile on anyone’s face.

 

#2 Bob Pettit – 4

Bob Pettit won the Hardware All-Star Game MVP in 1956, 1958, 1959 (shared with Elgin Baylor), and 1962.

In 1956, he dropped 20 points and grabbed 26 rebounds for the St. Louis Hawks. Although his team lost in 1958, Pettit’s impressive numbers (28 points and 26 rebounds) were enough to earn him a second All-Star Game MVP trophy.

In the 1962 All-Star Game, Wilt Chamberlain recorded 42 points and 24 rebounds for a losing lineup, but Pettit was still voted MVP with 25 points and 27 rebounds.

 

 

#1 Kobe Bryant – 4

Kobe Bryant was an 18-time All-Star when he decided to leave the basketball game.

Bryant won his first All-Star MVP trophy in 2002 when he scored 31 points and wrote the Mamba Mentality in an exhibition game. His next goal came in 2007 when he completed six passes (along with 31 points and six steals). That year, Bryant led the Western Conference to victory and beat Amar Stoudemire (29 points) for the trophy.

After sharing his third MVP award with O’Neal in 2009, Bryant won it back for himself for the last time in 2011. He had 37 points and 14 rebounds and joined Bob Pettit for the most All-Star Game MVPs of the four.

 

Who was Jordan’s enemy?

 

For the majority of people, Michael Jordan is the great basketball player who has ever lived. At his peak, the distance between him and the other superstars was much more considerable than it is today. While LeBron James has lost against players like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan in the NBA Finals and had Curry’s reign as the league’s face at least briefly threatened, Jordan was genuine without equal.

 

Does that imply that he was unopposed? Sometimes. He had one who, without a doubt, completely ticked him off and continues to do so today. He had others for various reasons, such as the weighted significance of intra-conference conflicts back then. Here are Michael Jordan’s top five enemies during his career.

 

 

1. Isiah Thomas

It’s been argued that an actual, demonstrable danger must exist between both parties before the term “rivalry” may be used to describe the situation. Isiah Thomas was Michael Jordan’s lone real personal foe throughout his career in that regard. In his heyday, he was unbeatable. To win back-to-back championships, Thomas’ Pistons defeated Jordan’s Bulls in the 1989 and 1990 Eastern Conference finals. Additionally, by strictly enforcing the Jordan Rules, they brutally punished His Airness. In the 10-part ESPN documentary “The Last Dance,” which follows the 1997–98 Bulls, Michael Jordan claimed that he “hated” the Pistons throughout his playing career and that this hatred “carries even to this day.”

 

Nobody got Jordan’s goat-like Thomas, whose Pistons memorably left the court without shaking the Bulls’ hands when Chicago overcame their difficulties and swept Detroit in the 1991 conference finals. Thomas earned Jordan’s goat, and it appears that he still does. Thomas is still upset over Jordan’s role keeping him off the 1992 Dream Team a year later, which is widely accepted and credibly reported.

 

The jabs are reciprocal. Thomas made it plain that Jordan doesn’t need any particular pity for having experienced a famously violent era of NBA basketball in the wake of “The Last Dance,” which depicted Jordan enduring an unusual battering during the 1980s.

 

According to this generation, Jordan was the only one getting hit back then, Thomas remarked. No player during that time received more hits and punishment than I did, and I have all the scars to show it, I can declare on this television station right now.

 

Thomas even went so far as to tell Bill Reiter of CBS Sports that Jordan was the fourth-toughest opponent he had to face throughout his career. Fourth! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird presented harder opponents for Isiah. Can you imagine how much that costs at the infamously little M.J. present time? But when a rival beat you more frequently than you beat him in head-to-head playoff matches, that is how things work out.

 

Although Jordan despises it, this is the case. Jordan’s lone genuine competitor during his career was and still is Thomas.

 

2. Patrick Ewing

Even though the “rivalry” was entirely one-sided, the 1990s Bulls and Knicks teams are inexorably intertwined, giving Ewing the No. 2 spot. During 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996, the Bulls defeated the Knicks. When Jordan was a franchise member, New York never defeated Chicago in the postseason. In the 1993 E.C. Finals, Jordan and the Bulls handed the Knicks their most painful defeat. The Knicks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, and it appeared that this would be the Knicks’ year to defeat Chicago and advance to the Finals. Jordan and the Bulls went on to win four straight games, including the famed “Charles Smith game,” in which Jordan and Scottie Pippen successfully stopped Smith from scoring four points at point-blank range to win Game 5 in the dying seconds.

 

Although Ewing was arguably the finest player for the Knicks, there was never any sense that Ewing and Jordan had a personal rivalry. Jordan and Ewing were less prominent than the Bulls and Knicks. Jordan frequently faced off against players like John Starks, and while being a Hall of Fame player, Ewing was never on par with Jordan personally.

 

This reminds me a little bit of LeBron James and the Heat being pushed by young Paul George and the Pacers. James was a level above George in every way. It’s difficult to say those two were competitors. However, George was Indiana’s best player, and the Pacers forced Miami to face them in two consecutive conference finals, forcing the Heat to a Game 7 in 2013. LeBron and George might have evolved into the new Jordan and Ewing had that continued for a few more seasons, with the Pacers coming close but never making it beyond the finish line.

 

3. Magic Johnson

Jordan’s adversary was Johnson in two ways. One, they weren’t often rivals on the court, but when they did, there was a lot at stake—the Bulls had to overcome the Lakers in the 1991 Finals to win Jordan his first championship. Johnson served as the league’s unofficial torchbearer, and two. Even though Jordan was the league’s top player by the time 1991 rolled around, Magic’s company was still very much in place to some extent. Johnson was Jordan’s competitor on and off the court in a legendary sense. Jordan discussed the necessity of winning a championship in “The Last Dance” to be compared to Larry Bird and Magic. They were successful men. Jordan was a solid individual skill but sometimes struggled to inspire his teammates. When Jordan faced Magic, who had just won consecutive league MVP honors in 1989 and 1990, he was battling all of that.

 

The “Showtime” Lakers were not the Lakers Jordan, and the Bulls defeated, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. Had L.A. Magic would have taken the top spot on this list if the “Showtime” Lakers had still been in existence when they faced Jordan’s Bulls, which likely would have involved more than one game. However, that Lakers team was still immensely talented.

 

Under 30 years old, Byron Scott and James Worthy scored 35 points per game on average that season. One of the classiest centers that are never mentioned is Vlade Divac. Magic was performing at an MVP level before his sudden retirement following the Finals due to HIV diagnosis (he averaged 19 and 12 in ’91-92).

 

The Lakers entered as the betting favorite, and when they won Game 1, most people believed they would win the series. But Jordan and the Bulls came roaring back to win four straight games, win the championship, and award Jordan the league’s keys in the process.

 

4. Charles Barkley

Barkley is the only person on this list behind Magic who has ever been regarded as the second-best player in the world. He was most likely the Dream Team’s second-best player. Without a Scottie Pippen-caliber wingman, he led the Suns to the Finals in 1993 after winning league MVP (although Kevin Johnson was, incredibly, All-NBA second or third team five out of six years from 1989-1994). In the end, Barkley and Jordan’s identities were more tightly linked than most athletes who only face each other once in their lives on a crucial stage. Part of this was due to their growing relationship and shared love of golf and gambling. However, 1993 is the only year that puts Barkley on this list. Thanks to his outstanding play during that season, he elevated himself to at least the periphery of the Jordan conversation.

 

And listen, in those 1993 Finals that you might recall; the Suns came far closer to pushing the Bulls to the limit or even defeating them. Despite Jordan scoring 55 points in Game 4, they were only separated by a few possessions throughout the fourth quarter. Barkley had 32 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists but still fell short of leading the Suns to victory. If the Suns, who ultimately won Game 5, win that game, the series will be tied at two games each, making it anyone’s game. Even without it, the Suns were so close to forcing a Game 7 on their home court in Game 6 before a last-second John Paxson 3-pointer eliminated them.

 

5. Karl Malone

Malone is the only player on this list to have fallen to Jordan in the Finals twice, with the Jazz in striking reach. They were within one Jordan hanging follow-through jumper of forcing a Game 7 in 1998 when the series was knotted 2-2. Malone doesn’t feel competitive with Jordan. Affiliation with a conference had more significance then than it does now. The conference link made the Knicks and Pistons feel closer to Jordan, even if they never faced one other in the Finals. Before they collided with the Bulls for a few weeks in June, the Western Conference’s small-market Jazz practically lived in a different NBA universe.

 

Malone was still a monster. Although he was never considered the “greatest player in the world,” he did win league MVP honors in 1997 and 1999 (the latter year being the start of Jordan’s second retirement).