NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Power Rankings featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and more | March 15th, 2022

We are in the final stretch of the 2021-22 NBA season and the NBA MVP race has picked up a lot of steam. Each game matters more now as there are less than 15 games remaining. Everyone performs their best in the final month of the season as the team's final standing makes a lot of difference in the MVP race.

How a player performed in the first half of the season is almost irrelevant as fans and analysts are now observing every possession to analyze the worthy winner of the award. The race has essentially boiled down to three most dominant big men of this generation - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

Alsoingly, all three superstars are non-American born athletes so we might have an international winner for the fourth consecutive season.

Also, Steph Curry is back in the mix for the award after a rough stretch of games. DeMar DeRozan's case is slipping and many have demanded that LeBron James should be considered for the award. At age 37, the King is 0.2 points shy of the league leader in scoring and is one of only three players this season with multiple 50-point games.

Luka Doncic is having one of his best seasons ever and many believe he deserves to be in the MVP discussion because the Dallas Mavericks have a better record than Jokic's Denver Nuggets. He is averaging stellar numbers over the last few weeks and is 5th in the league in both points (28.0) and assists (8.6) along with 17th in rebounds (9.3).

So without further ado, let's take a look at the top five of the latest NBA MVP power rankings from Sportskeeda.

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#5 DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls against the Detroit Pistons

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 3rd (↓1)

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 68; Games won - 41; Games lost - 27

Last Week: PPG - 26.3, APG - 6.0, RPG - 7.5

Overall: PPG - 28.0, APG - 5.1, RPG - 5.4

Last Week: FG% - 40.0%, FT% - 94.9%, SPG - 0.8

Overall: FG% - 50.4%, FT% - 87.2%, SPG - 0.9

DeMar DeRozan's hot streak has ended and the Chicago Bulls are suffering as a result. After averaging over 35 a game on 60% shooting for weeks, he is now down to 26 a game and 50% shooting.

The Bulls have lost six of their last seven games, including a five-game losing streak which involved losses to top teams like the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

They have now slid to fourth place in the East and are just 0.5 games ahead of the surging 5th-seeded Boston Celtics.

#4 Steph Curry

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors against the LA Lakers

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 5th (↑1).

Last Week: Games played - 5; Games won - 4; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 69; Games won - 47; Games lost - 22

Last Week: PPG - 26.0, APG - 6.3, RPG - 5.5

Overall: PPG - 25.8, APG - 6.4, RPG - 5.3

Last Week: FG% - 53.8%, 3P% - 41.7%, FT% - 100.0%

Overall: FG% - 43.8%, 3P% - 38.1%, FT% - 92.3%

Steph Curry is back to his usual shooting flurries and the Golden State Warriors have turned it up a notch. After a demoralizing loss to the LA Lakers, the team finally decided to put Curry back to his old rotation pattern and the two-time MVP is balling out ever since. He is shooting at 50/40/90 shooting splits and is coming off a 47-point night against the Wizards.

Moreover, he is also grabbing 1.8 steals a night and is now the league leader in free-throw percentage (92.3%). The Warriors are now tied for second place in the West with the Memphis Grizzlies and have a strong chance of solidifying that spot before the playoffs.

#3 Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers against the Chicago Bulls

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 1st (↓2)

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 67; Games won - 41; Games lost - 26

Last Week: PPG - 34.8, APG - 3.8, RPG - 12.8

Overall: PPG - 29.9, APG - 4.3, RPG - 11.3

Last Week: FG% - 43.5%, 3P% - 57.1%, BPG - 2.0

Overall: FG% - 48.5%, 3P% - 36.6%, BPG - 1.5

Joel Embiid is currently leading the NBA in scoring now and is shooting at an absurd 57% from beyond the arc in his last four games. He is also grabbing over a steal per game and is averaging two blocks a night in that span.

However, the pairing of Joel Embiid and James Harden hasn't worked out wonders like most people expected. The duo has combined for inefficient totals while accumulating points at the free-throw line.

They have lost three of their last five games, including losses to the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. The Sixers are third in the East but just one game ahead of the 5th-placed Celtics. Hence, if they plummet in the standings, Embiid's NBA MVP case will weaken regardless of his personal numbers.

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#2 Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets against the New York Knicks

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 4th (↑2)

Last Week: Games played - 5; Games won - 3; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 69; Games won - 41; Games lost - 28

Last Week: PPG - 28.2, APG - 8.8, RPG - 13.6

Overall: PPG - 26.0, APG - 8.1, RPG - 13.8

Last Week: FG% - 58.2%, 3P% - 7.7%, BPG - 1.6

Overall: FG% - 57.2%, 3P% - 34.9%, BPG - 0.8

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets won the showdown against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers and that improved the chances of his second consecutive NBA MVP award.

In the head-to-head battle between the two NBA MVP favorites, Jokic outrebounded, outassisted and had more steals than Embiid. Although he scored less than Embiid, his overall game helped the undermanned Nuggets overcome a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team.

The Nuggets play in the tougher West and as a result are sixth in the conference but in fact, have as many wins as the 76ers and Bulls.

#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 2nd (↑1)

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 3; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 69; Games won - 43; Games lost - 26

Last Week: PPG - 35.8, APG - 4.8, RPG - 10.5

Overall: PPG - 29.7, APG - 5.9, RPG - 11.5

Last Week: FG% - 59.8%, SPG - 1.3, 3P% - 40%

Overall: FG% - 54.8%, SPG - 1.1, 3P% - 30.3%

The Milwaukee Bucks are on a roll and Giannis Antetokounmpo is on pace to win his third NBA MVP trophy before turning 30. He is averaging nearly 36 points per game on 60% shooting and is surprisingly also making 40% of his threes.

They have won seven of their last eight games, including impressive wins over tough teams like the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. Their only loss last week was against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who hold the second-best record in the NBA.

The Greek Freak is just 0.2 points shy of the league leader in scoring and his case for the NBA MVP award grows stronger as the Bucks are now second in the East.