TWENTY-FOUR games into the season, a select number of players have excelled above the rest of the league, and they will be contending for the NBA’s top individual award as the year-end looms. As always, they lead their teams in at least two statistical departments.
JOEL EMBIID (PHI). Oh, the guy could be confidently cocky but he has the numbers to back up the swag. He leads the Sixers in points (27ppg), rebounds (13.4rpg) and blocks (2bpg). Prior to the start of the new NBA season, Embiid said in an interview that his goal is to win the MVP.
KAWHI LEONARD (TOR). In 18 games with the Raptors, Leonard is the team leader in points (25.5), rebounds (8.6) and steals (1.7). Fully recovered from his quadriceps injury, he’s instrumental in Toronto’s league-leading 20-4 win-loss slate.
ANTHONY DAVIS (NOP). Every season, we always get MVP numbers from the Unibrow mainly because he lacks the support crew. New Orleans at the moment is 12-12 and leading the Pelican attack is AD with per game averages of 28 points, 13 rebounds (career high), 1.6 steals, and 2.7 blocks. His 4.9 assists per game is also a career-high.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (MIL). It has always been a challenge to spell his name but the Bucks are doing well with a 15-7 record, tied on second overall with Denver. Like Davis, he leads Milwaukee in four departments – scoring (27.6, career best), rebounds (13.2, career best), assists (6, career-best), and steals (1.5). The Greek Freak is only 23, but look at his numbers. Not liking Mario Hezonja when he stared and stepped over him after a dunk in their overtime loss to the New York Knicks last Monday, he vowed to “punch him in the groin next time” for what he considered a disrespect. Both teams will next meet on Christmas Day and it will be interesting to see how many posterizing moments Giannis will exact on Hezonja.
The MVP race won’t be complete without these three candidates.
LEBRON JAMES (LAL). His minutes are being managed but still, LeBron is being LeBron, what else is new with this soon to be 34-year-old freak of nature? In his first season with the Lakers, he willed the team to the upper half of the Western Conference, a first after four years. He just might carry his new crew to the Finals like what he did to the dysfunctional Cavs four straight times. He leads the Lakers in points (27.8), rebounds (7.7), assists (6.7), and steals (1.3).
KEVIN DURANT (GSW). There is the perceived Dubs Drama starring KD and Dray but it seems like it has not affected KD at all. His per-game average of 30 points is second in the league behind James Harden. The last time KD had this production was during his 2013-2014 MVP season.
STEPHEN CURRY (GSW). Golden State won’t be the Warriors without Chef Curry. Coming back from an injury, he unloaded 27 points in a losing effort versus Detroit. Yet, in the 13 games played, he averaged 29.3 points, ranking third in this season’s top scorers behind Harden and KD. With a field goal conversion rate of 51.2 percent, he makes more than half of his shot attempts and converts 48 percent of his long-range bombs. Curry’s free throw percentage is high at 92.1 percent.
Runners-up to the MVP race are Harden (HOU), Jimmy Butler (PHI), Kyle Lowry (TOR), Kemba Walker (CHA), Victor Oladipo (INA), Karl Anthony Towns (MIN), and Kyrie Irving (BOS)./PN
