The best player on the best team is taking days off to rest on back-to-backs. The best three-point shooter in the NBA was on pace to make about 8,000 three-pointers before he got hurt. The biggest impact player on the Clippers may be Montrezl Harrell, who is running away with the Sixth Man award. But an NBA MVP candidate? They don’t have one.
Updated odds on who will be the NBA MVP are out, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (5/2) is the favorite, followed by Anthony Davis (4-1) and LeBron James (5-1).
The best bet on the board may be Kevin Durant at 13-1, because all the guy does these days is go out and drop 40 a night while Curry watches in awe.
And then we have Kemba Walker, who gets no respect even though he plays for Michael Jordan and has an NBA season-high of 60 points.
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One major injury or one major trade can change the MVP landscape considerably, but everyone likes to play the MVP Race game for one reason: Because it is fun.
So with that in mind, let’s have a look at the guys on the board on this first day of December:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (5-2): When Shaquille O’Neal calls you Superman it means something, because Shaq does not share his nickname all that easily. The SuperFreak is due for another leap over Tim Hardaway tonight at Madison Square Garden, and if you missed it last season, channel your inner McEnroe as you watch this video.
Anthony Davis (4-1): The Pelicans are tied for 10th in the Western Conference, and MVP awards simply do not go to teams that fail to make the playoffs. The pressure is on general manager Dell Demps to put some more talent around AD by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, or else Danny Ainge is going to be pushing his wheelbarrow all the way to Bourbon Street.
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LeBron James (5-1): This bears repeating: You do NOT want to bet against LeBron James. But, OK, maybe on this one. The NBA season is 82 games long, and when all is said and done, and when we know what the Lakers look like on March 1 — when we see what their playoff-eligible roster looks like — we’ll have a better reading on whether a ninth straight trip to the NBA Finals is possible. If it is, an MVP is within reach.
Kawhi Leonard, (7-1): An argument can be made that the Raptors got the better of the Spurs in this deal, but that argument may be too premature. Because ask yourself this: Which player — Leonard or DeMar DeRozan — will be with his team the longest? In San Antonio, they may realize that this season is lost, but next season most definitely is not. In Toronto, they will eventually have to deal with Uncle Dennis.
Stephen Curry (7-1): It will be good to have him back tonight against the Pistons, and it is safe to say that Klay Thompson’s NBA record of 14 3-pointers is within reach. When a guy can do what you see below, don’t put anything past him:
Joel Embiid: (15-2): As noted on Twitter earlier today, Embiid would win the MVP hands down if it simply came down to personality. The guys is more popular in Philadelphia than Ben Simmons, which is saying something. Of course, the folks down there absolutely love it when Markelle Fultz pulls something special, but the days of that happening are coming to a close.
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James Harden (9-1): Leads the league in scoring (30.7 ppg) and is third in assists (8.8). Still the best one-on-one offensive player in the league, with all due respect to Spencer Dinwiddie. Also, gets bonus points for his Craig Sager tribute suit:
Kevin Durant (13-1): Has gone 51, 49 and 44 in his last three games, but that type of scoring madness should probably cease tonight in Detroit. Then again, you never really want to put anything past this guy when he is humming on all cylinders.
Russell Westbrook (16-1): Nobody has talked much about him nationally because he has missed so much time with injuries. But he is back now, and he already leads the NBA in triple-doubles with three. His next opportunity for a fourth comes Monday at Detroit. The Thunder are just a game back of the Clippers for first place in the Western Conference.
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Damian Lillard (33-1): The Trail Blazers often get ignored by the national media, but we shall see if that continues with Portland one of the top seven teams in the West. Aside from Curry (and Durant of late), nobody drills it from deep downtown like this guy.
Kyrie Irving and Nikola Jokic (40-1): Gotta win the conference fellas. And Jokic is closer to doing that than Irving is at this point.
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Others: (Big turnarounds are needed from their teams in order for them to get MVP consideration, but there are roughly 60 games left for each team)
Ben Simmons (60-1): Playing second fiddle to Embiid.
DeMar DeRozan (66-1): Let’s wait and see what Pop pulls off at the trade deadline.
Related: NBA Betting Guide
Karl-Anthony Towns (80-1): Addition by subtraction in Minnesota. Wolves are 7-2 since trading Jimmy Butler.
Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo, John Wall (100-1): Of the three, Oladipo may have the best shot. Nobody takes the Pacers all that seriously … except the Sixers.
