MVP Candidate Rankings (tiers)

So now that we are close to the end of the season, i am going to be putting the players who are in the race into tiers.

Tier one: The top of the pack players. These are the players that have the best chance of winning the award.

Tier Two: These are the players that still could win the award, but it’s less likely than the players in tier one

Tier three: These players are likely not going to win the award, but are still in the conversation.

Tier four: players that are all but guaranteed not to win the award, but still deserve credit for what they have done.

TIER ONE

Nikola Jokic: I think that Jokic is started to pull ahead of the pack ever so slightly. He has had a terrific year for the Nuggets. His passing numbers have been great, and he has put in the work as a scorer and rebounder too. Jokic has been the driving force for the Denver Nuggets this season, and I think he is 100% worthy of this award. It’s been a close race between Embid and Jokic all year long, and I think it will be to the very end. I would not be surprised if Embid pulls ahead of Jokic before the end of the season.

Joel Embid: As I have already said, it’s been a close race all year long between Jokic and Embid. This season, Joel Embid has been dominant all year long. His scoring and rebounding have been great, and he has stepped up on defence. A mid season injury has held him back a little bit in the MVP Race, but since he has returned, he has been just as good as he was before the injury. It’s going to be a tight race for MVP between Embid and Jokic

TIER TWO

Damian Lillard: Dame has been fantastic this season. He kept the Blazers in the playoff picture through the injuries of CJ and Nurkic. He has been leading this team up the standings the entire year. He deserves a lot more credit than he gets. The Blazers current struggles does hurt him, but in my mind, he deserves this award just as much as anyone.

Giannis Antetokumpo: This is kind of obvious. Giannis once again has been one of the most dominant players in the league. He has been great on both ends of the floor. Giannis has been next to unstoppable this season. He hasn’t had many bad games this year. His offence and defence have both been outstanding, and Giannis is looking to lead the bucks to a good playoff run, maybe to the finals.

James Harden: Harden has been absolutely amazing offensively this season. His scoring has taken a step back since he is on the same team as Kyrie Irving and KD, but his passing has been the best in the league. He is consistently putting up 25 ppg and 10 assists per game, great numbers for a player that’s usually know for being a ball hog. Harden has been great this year, and he is totally deserving of this award.

TIER THREE

LeBron James: Lebrons injury has held him back in the mvp rankings, but before the injury, he was playing great. He has been the best player on one of the better teams in the league. If he hadn’t gotten injured, LeBron potentially would be a tier one player. Sadly, his injury has pushed him down to tier 3.

Steph Curry: The Warriors record has really made Steph’s MVP case not that great. Curry is having a fantastic year, maybe one of the best seasons of his career. Offensively, he’s been fire. Especially as of late, Curry has been lighting it up on the scoreboard. Don’t forget about the defence though. Stats may not show it, but Curry is playing the best defence of his career right now. The only thing holding Curry back is the Warriors record

TIER FOUR

Chris Paul: CP3 has been great this year. To a casual fans eyes, his stats show that he has not been good at all this year and shouldn’t even be mentioned when talking about the league MVP. To a true basketball fan, Chris Paul is having a great year on both ends of the floor, and is having a huge huge impact on one of the best teams in basketball. Chris Paul has been a leader on both ends of the floor, and is the main reason for the Suns success. He won’t win the award, but he deserves some credit for what he has done this year.

Rudy Gobert: Gobert is another case like CP3. To the casual fans eye, he isn’t very good. To a true basketball fans eyes, he has arguably been the most impactful player on the best team in the league. Defensively, Gobert has been outstanding. Gobert is one of the favourites to win DPOTY. His offence has been decent too. Goberts impact on the Jazz isn’t seen in the main stats. He has been great this year for the Jazz and deserves credit for the impact he has had and the work he has done for the Jazz.

Kevin Durant: Injuries have really really held KD back this season, but when he has played, he has been terrific. He has been a monster on offence, putting up fantastic scoring numbers pretty much every single game he plays in. He has also been a decent passer this year. If KD hadn’t been injured, he might’ve been a tier 2 type of player. Injuries have held him back though, and he won’t win the award. He definitely deserves credit though.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Devin Booker: He has had a great year offensively. Not MVP worthy, but has been good enough to be an honourable mention.

Paul George: George has been a good two way player this year, and has lead the Clippers to one of the best records in the west.

Kawhi Leonard: The other man from L.A, Kawhi has been a great two way player this season. Worthy of an honourable mention.

Donavan Mitchell: He is having a great year for the Jazz and has helped them get to where they are, the best team in the league.

So those are the rankings (tiers) of who I think are the MVP candidates! Do you agree? Disagree? Comment your thoughts down below!