NBA 2018-19: MVP Power Rankings Week 11

The best performing player of the National Basketball Association(NBA) regular season receives the Most Valuable Player Award(MVP). The winner is awarded the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. From 2010, one ballot was cast by fans through online voting. The player with the highest point total wins the award. The current holder of the award is James Harden of the Houston Rockets.

Nearing the halfway mark of the 2018/19 NBA Regular Season and the race for the MVP is at it's best. The ongoing season has so far proved to be very exciting. This season many players are in contention for the award and there is no clear favorite. Let's take a look at the latest NBA MVP power rankings.

#5 LeBron James

New Orleans Pelicans v Los Angeles Lakers

One of the greatest players of all time, the list won't be complete without King James. Always considered as a top contender for the MVP Award, James is expected to miss a few games due to his groin injury in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors (which will be a huge blow to the Lakers, who are currently 7th in the western conference standings).

LeBron only played 21 minutes but gave an impressive performance scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds and also gave 5 assists before he got struck by the injury. Expect him to return stronger than before and lead his team to the playoffs.

LeBron has played 34 games this season, with an average playing time of 34.7 minutes, scoring 27.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.3 steals. Pretty impressive stats for someone who is playing in their 16th season. Hopefully, the King will return soon and continue to put up impressive performances and his chances to win the MVP Award will only get better.

#4 Kawhi Leonard

The Toronto Raptors are currently sitting second on the Eastern Conference rankings and a huge credit for that goes to Kawhi Leonard. He is one of the front runners for the MVP Award. Moved to the Toronto Raptors this summer, no one expected him to perform like this.

On Thursday he scored 30 points along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists in a win against the Miami Heat. He takes the fourth spot on the list, but you can expect him to improve.

Leonard has been fantastic this season, playing an average of 34.8 minutes, scoring 26.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. On December 21, he matched his season high with 37 points in a 126–110 win over the Cavaliers.

Kawhi could be the key ingredient for the Toronto Raptors this year. If Leo and team keep up their fantastic play, they could finish atop the Eastern Conference and might as well win the Championship.

#3 James Harden

James Harden is in contention to win his second-straight MVP award and he has all the necessary stats to back that up. Harden is a consistent performer and is considered one of the most versatile and dangerous scorers in the NBA, with season averages of over 26 points per game since the 2012–13 season. He is the current leader in points scored.

Harden has played 31 games this regular season, with an average time of 36.7 minutes on the court, scoring 32.7 points(most in the league), 8.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.The Houston Rockets are on sixth position in the Western Conference standings and are steadily improving, thanks to Harden's impressive performance in the last game, scoring 45 points along with 6 assists.

The Rockets have won their last three games and are looking to confirm the playoff birth. James' consistency and endless stamina could earn him another MVP this year.

#2 Anthony Davis

The first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis is one of the most efficient player of all time. Only 25 years of age, he is already considered as the finest all round player in the NBA today. He takes the second spot on the list.

Davis dropped an incredible performance in the 114-112 win against the Dallas Mavericks, with scoring 48 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. His chances to win the MVP Award are increasing with every game. Davis also known as 'The Brow' showed one of the best individual performance in the game.

Davis has played 32 games for the Pelicans with an average of 37.1 minutes on court, scored 28.8 points, 13 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game in the regular season. Right now the New Orleans are sitting on 14th place in the Western Conference. The team needs to take inspiration from Anthony and play better if they want to make the playoffs.

#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo

With 24 wins, the Milwaukee Bucks are sitting on top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks have been excellent this year and Giannis has been a huge reason for that.

The Greek Freak is leading the race for the MVP Award and is odds on favorite to win it. In a phenomenal Christmas performance, he scored 30 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and if that was not enough, on 28th in a 112-96 win, he scored 31 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks.

Giannis 'The Golden Boy' Antetokounmpo has played a total of 32 games with 33.9 average time spent on the court, scoring 26.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game making him the best player in the league at the moment. The Bucks are leading the pack and Giannis is making a strong case for the MVP Award. He is just 24 years of age and is improving every year.