Kia NBA MVP Race: Latest MVP ladder and power rankings feat. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and more | Feb. 04, 2022-23 NBA Season

The NBA MVP 2023 race has gotten hotter in the past week, with multiple contenders dropping huge performances as teams edge towards the end of the regular season.

With a championship race that looks wide open, it has been extremely hard to put a finger on who the top five have been this season. Ja Morant missed the NBA's own Kia MVP Ladder this week despite carrying his team’s offense, while Stephen Curry has also missed out after spending two weeks in the top five.

Here, we look at the five players who look to have the best chances of winning the MVP award:

2023 NBA MVP power rankings

#5, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Previous week's MVP ranking: N/A

Last Week: Games played - 2, Games won - 2, Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 49, Games won - 35, Games lost - 14

Overall: PPG – 31.7, RPG – 8.7, APG – 4.4, SPG - 1.1, BPG – .8

Jayson Tatum has won both of the last two games for the Boston Celtics, which were against the LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. He returned with at least 30 points both times, and has produced a total of 20 rebounds. Tatum will be able to rise further in the rankings if he keeps up in this vein.

#4, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Previous week's MVP ranking: 5 (+)

Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 3, Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 40, Games won - 30, Games lost - 10

Overall: PPG – 32.3, RPG – 12.3, APG – 5.1, SPG - .8, BPG – .8

Numbers on the up, Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have been tearing it up the past few weeks and now find themselves on a six-game winning streak. Giannis produced a 138 points in three games, which included a 50- and a 54-point haul. These is enough reason for his jump.

#3, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Previous week's MVP ranking: 3 (-)

Last Week: Games played - 2, Games won - 2, Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 35, Games won - 18, Games lost - 17

Overall: PPG – 33.4, RPG – 8.9, APG – 8.2, SPG – 1.5, BPG – 0.5

The Dallas Mavericks continue to lose games easily in the absence of Luka Doncic, who has missed two games in the last few weeks. Doncic produced another 50-point outing, finishing with 53 points and eight assists in a win over the Detroit Pistons and followed it up days later against the Pelicans with 31 points and eight assists.

Looking fully recovered, Doncic can easily emerge as a bigger contender than he is currently.

#2, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Previous week's MVP ranking: NA (2)

Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 2, Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 38, Games won - 26, Games lost - 12

Overall: PPG – 33.5, RPG – 10.1, APG – 4.1, SPG – 1.1, BPG – 1.7

Joel Embiid has been in commanding form all season and is in contention for basically all the individual awards except the Most Improved and Sixth Man of the Year awards. He single-handedly won the game against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, finishing with an incredible stat line of 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

His jump to the 2nd rank says a lot about the incredible competition for the MVP award this season.

#1, Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Previous week's MVP ranking: 1 (+1)

Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 2, Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 45, Games won - 23, Games lost - 12

Overall: PPG – 25.1, RPG – 11.1, APG – 10.1, SPG – 1.4, BPG – 0.6

Since the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nikola Jokic has also responded with some incredible performances. He has produced two straight double-doubles and has shot at slightly less than 70% over these games while putting up 48 points, 32 assists and 39 rebounds in 70 odd minutes.