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The 2022 NBA MVP race is not as tight as it once was. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were atop the ladder for the better part of the season, but several other players have now made a mark in the conversation.
DeMar DeRozan is making a splash in the Windy City while Joel Embiid is carrying the Philadelphia 76ers without his All-Star point guard Ben Simmons. Nikola Jokic is still dominating the headlines with his spectacular individual performances. The reigning MVP is in consideration to win the award despite having a subpar team record.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to dominate the East and is still putting up numbers similar to his MVP seasons. Chris Paul has led the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the NBA and is now in the discussion for his first-ever Maurice Podoloff trophy.
Players like Jimmy Butler and Paul George have fallen behind in the race after missing several games and their teams haven't been able to rack up wins.
So without further ado, let's take a look at the top 5 NBA MVP power rankings from Sportskeeda.
#5 Nikola Jokic
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 4th (↓1).
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2.
Overall: Games played - 38; Games won - 20; Games lost - 18.
Last Week: PPG - 27.0, APG - 6.8, RPG - 16.3
Overall: PPG - 25.8, APG - 7.0, RPG - 14.2
Last Week: FG% - 55.3%, SPG - 1.3, 3P% - 37.5%
Overall: FG% - 56.1%, SPG - 1.4, 3P% - 35.5%
Nikola Jokic has been so dominant this season that his individual performances are enough to put him in the NBA MVP discussion again. He is in the same situation as the Warriors' Stephen Curry was last season.
Jokic is having a record-breaking season personally but the lack of talent on the team has meant he hasn't won enough games. The Denver Nuggets are without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. but still hold an above .500 record and that is all because of The Joker.
Additionally, he is leading in most advanced statistics in the NBA this season, including a record-shattering PER of 32.4. Jokic is second in the league in rebounding with 14.2 boards a night, trailing only Rudy Gobert (15.1).
Impressively, he has registered 18+ boards in five of their last eight games while dishing out seven dimes a game as well.
#4 DeMar DeRozan
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 5th (↑1).
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1.
Overall: Games played - 37; Games won - 26; Games lost - 11.
Last Week: PPG - 21.3, APG - 6.0, RPG - 4.0
Overall: PPG - 26.4, APG - 4.7, RPG - 5.0
Last Week: FG% - 44.6%, BPG - 0.7
Overall: FG% - 49.1%, BPG - 0.4.
DeMar DeRozan hasn't played his best in the last three games this week. He shot 44% from the field instead of his usual 50%+ and missed every three-pointer he attempted, despite shooting a career-high 35.2% from downtown. DeRozan's average fell from 27 points per game to 21.3 last week and he didn't rebound or assist the ball at his usual clip as well.
However, one cannot deny that the Chicago Bulls are dominating the league because of DeRozan. He has arguably been the most clutch player this season and is leading the league in fourth-quarter scoring while shooting 56/100/96 in clutch situations.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 3rd (-).
Last Week: Games played - 5; Games won - 1; Games lost - 4.
Overall: Games played - 43; Games won - 26; Games lost - 17.
Last Week: PPG - 35.0, APG - 7.3, RPG - 11.3
Overall: PPG - 28.5, APG - 5.9, RPG - 11.4
Last Week: FG% - 59.2%, 3P% - 36.8%, SPG - 1.0
Overall: FG% - 54.0%, 3P% - 28.7%, SPG - 1.1
The Milwaukee Bucks were horrid last week but Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated every game. He averaged a monster 35 points per game on 59% shooting from the field while grabbing nearly 12 boards and dishing out 7.3 dimes a night.
Additionally, the Greek Freak is averaging 28% from three-point range for the season but shot an incredible 36.8% from that distance in the past week.
The sole game the Bucks won last week was against the Brooklyn Nets superteam and Antetokounmpo outdueled Kevin Durant while dropping 31 points. Even though the Bucks have lost four of their last five games, the Greek's continued dominance is why he is still third on our NBA MVP power rankings.
#2 Stephen Curry
Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 1st (↓1).
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2.
Overall: Games played - 39; Games won - 30; Games lost - 9.
Last Week: PPG - 17.0, APG - 6.7, RPG - 5.7
Overall: PPG - 26.8, APG - 6.0, RPG - 5.3
Last Week: 3P% - 20.0%, SPG - 0.3
Overall: 3P% - 38.7%, SPG - 1.4
An exceptionally horrific shooting stretch from Stephen Curry is why he has fallen to second place in our NBA MVP power rankings. He shot an absurdly low 20% from beyond the arc and 29% from the field in the last week.
After averaging 32.5 points per game the week before, Curry has fallen to 17 ppg this week. The 33-year-old is not making the shots he usually does and the Golden State Warriors endured back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Nevertheless, the Warriors still hold a 30-9 record and are dominating the NBA on both ends of the floor. Whenever Curry's shots aren't falling, he starts to create shots for his teammates and that can clearly be seen in his increased assists.
Stephen Curry will likely be atop these NBA MVP power rankings again once his shooting slump ends and they start winning games.
#1 Kevin Durant
Previous week’s NBA MVP Power Ranking - 2nd (↑1).
Last Week: Games played - 5; Games won - 2; Games lost - 3.
Overall: Games played - 39; Games won - 25; Games lost - 14.
Last Week: PPG - 30.5, APG - 6.5, RPG - 6.0
Overall: PPG - 29.9, APG - 5.8, RPG - 7.6
Last Week: FG% - 50.0%, FT% - 96.0%, SPG - 1.5
Overall: FG% - 51.9%, FT% - 88.8%, SPG - 0.7
Just like the other NBA MVP candidates on this list, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets also haven't had a great week. They have lost three of their last five games and have now fallen significantly behind the 1st-seeded Chicago Bulls.
However, Durant is still averaging the same numbers. He scored 30.5 points per game but increased his assists from 3.5 the week prior to 6.5 this week.
Durant currently leads the NBA in scoring with 29.9 points per game and is on track to win his fifth career scoring title this season. Many analysts have predicted that his averages will drop once Kyrie Irving returns, but that hasn't been the case so far.
Durant leads these ranking having consistently scored around 30 a game while carrying his team and playing increased minutes.
Poll : Can Stephen Curry win MVP?
Yes
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