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Week 5 of the 2021-22 season was wild in the Kia NBA MVP race. Stephen Curry has now taken a giant leap ahead of second-placed Kevin Durant.
Meanwhile, people are finding it difficult to argue against Nikola Jokic's back-to-back NBA MVP case. Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler has climbed the ladder after a spectacular return from injury, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is just a few wins away from entering the top five of the NBA MVP power rankings.
The NBA's MVP tracker has DeMar DeRozan on the list. But we find it extremely difficult to rank him in the top five because his teammate, Zach LaVine is having an MVP-caliber season himself. DeRozan cannot solely be responsible for the Chicago Bulls' wins because his teammates are stars themselves. It is the same reason why Donovan Mitchell or Devin Booker don't have any NBA MVP argument.
On that note, here's a look at the top five of Sportskeeda's NBA MVP power rankings:
#5 Paul George
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 4th (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 17; Games won - 10; Games lost - 7
Last Week: PPG - 26.3, APG - 5.5, RPG - 6.3
Overall: PPG - 26.4, APG - 5.2, RPG - 7.7
Last Week: FT% - 93%, SPG - 1.0
Overall: FG% - 90%, SPG - 1.9.
LA Clippers have been winning games despite the absence of two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. That's because of Paul George.
His stats are through the roof, and many analysts have him as a dark horse for the NBA MVP award. He is averaging 26.4 points per game, the sixth-highest in the league this season. George is leading the LA Clippers in points, assists and steals, and is second in rebounds.
The LA Clippers are 10-7 through their first 17 games, and are one of just nine NBA teams with double-digit win tallies so far. Another impressive statistic is that they are second in defensive rating without their two-time DPOY, Kawhi Leonard.
The LA Clippers have defeated teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, and the Dallas Mavericks, thanks to Paul Georges' performances.
#4 Nikola Jokic
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 3rd (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 0; Games lost - 4
Overall: Games played - 17; Games won - 9; Games lost - 8
Last Week: PPG - 32.5, APG - 6.5, RPG - 13.0
Overall: PPG - 26.4, APG - 6.4, RPG - 13.6
Last Week: FG% - 58.1%, 3P% - 50%, BPG - 1.5
Overall: FG% - 59.3%, 3P% - 41%, BPG - 0.9.
Nikola Jokic is leading the NBA in practically every advanced stat this season. He is third in the NBA in win shares and offensive win shares, and top five in several defensive stats.
He is first in player efficiency rating, box plus/minus (all three - overall, defensive, and offensive), VORP (value over replacement player) and other categories. Jokic is leading the Denver Nuggets in all five statistical categories, with 26.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
Although the Denver Nuggets missed Jokic in the last two games, they did lose four in a row. That is precisely why he has fallen one spot in our NBA MVP power rankings. The Nuggets aren't looking like championship contenders. But their winning record on the season is solely because of Nikola Jokic, even though several key players are injured.
#3 Jimmy Butler
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 5th (↑2)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 3; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 17; Games won - 11; Games lost - 6
Last Week: PPG - 30.7, APG - 6.3, RPG - 6.0
Overall: PPG - 25.1, APG - 5.4, RPG - 5.6
Last Week: FG% - 57%, SPG - 2.0,
Overall: FG% - 53.8%, SPG - 2.1.
Jimmy Butler was on the cusp of exiting the top five of our NBA MVP power rankings, but has improved his case instead. He returned from injury, and has averaged 30 points per game, continuing the Miami Heat's win streak.
He isn't at the level of Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, but has a strong case to be a finalist alongside Jokic, Goerge and Antetokounmpo, among others.
He is leading the NBA in win shares and offensive win shares, and is top ten in every major category. Butler is leading the Miami Heat in points and steals, and is second-highest in rebounds, assists and blocks. Known as the Heat's Swiss army knife, Butler contributes in any way possible to lead his team to wins.
#2 Kevin Durant
Previous week’s NBA MVP Power Ranking - 2nd (-)
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 17; Games won - 11; Games lost - 5
Last Week: PPG - 21.0, APG - 3.0, RPG - 4.5
Overall: PPG - 28.6, APG - 4.9, RPG - 7.9
Last Week: FG% - 42.9%, 3P% - 44.4%, FT% - 88.9%
Overall: FG% - 56.7%, 3P% - 42.7%, FT% - 84.5%.
The Brooklyn Nets are first in the East, and Kevin Durant is leading the league in scoring. But he isn't first in any NBA MVP power rankings because he underperformed last week.
He averaged just 21 points, three assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. and the Nets lost their showtime matchup against the league-best Golden State Warriors. All eyes were on this game as the two MVP frontrunners went head-to-head, But Durant came up small with 19 points, while Stephen Curry dropped 37 with nine threes. Not only did the Warriors win, they blew out the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin Durant will certainly improve his stock moving forward. One poor game or week doesn't determine the NBA MVP award, and Durant is still carrying his team night in and night out. However, if Kyrie Irving returns, then Durant's MVP case would weaken because his stats could go down. Then the narrative would be that he cannot be the sole MVP in a star-studded superteam.
#1 Stephen Curry
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 1st (-)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 4; Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 17; Games won - 15; Games lost - 2
Last Week: PPG - 29.7, APG - 6.3, RPG - 4.3
Overall: PPG - 28.4, APG - 6.6, RPG - 5.9
Last Week: FT% - 100%, SPG - 1.7, 3P% - 52.8%
Overall: FT% - 96.2%, SPG - 1.7, 3P% - 41.1%.
Stephen Curry is running away with the NBA MVP award right now. He is averaging just 0.2 points fewer than the league-leading Durant in scoring, and is top five in most offensive statistics this season.
Moreover, he is also making a serious case for an improvement at the defensive end. The Golden State Warriors are 15-2 for the best record in the NBA, and are the only team with less than three losses.
Stephen Curry locked horns with his NBA MVP rival, Kevin Durant at the Barclays Center, and put on a show for the world. He received MVP chants from the road crowd to cement himself ahead of KD in the NBA MVP race.
Stephen Curry has the NBA's most 40-point games this season with four already. and has the lone 50-point game so far.
The Golden State Warriors were down by 13 points heading into the final quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. But they eventually won the game by 15 points.
They outscored the home team 36-8 in the final period. That was possible because Stephen Curry created 33 straight points in ten minutes, scoring 20 points himself in that span.
Poll : Will Stephen Curry win MVP?
Yes
No
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