NBA MVP Discussion 20/21 (Fresh poll ➥ Vote)

[LesGrossman]

Are we sure LeBron is the Lakers' MVP? No way should he get it. Same for KD, AD, Harden.

Steph, Kawhi, Jokic, Luka, Giannis, maybe PG13, maybe Booker if the Suns continue their run more than worthy candidates. No need to encourage entitled superstars to collude and ruin this league.

[Brooklyn91]

Are we sure LeBron is the Lakers' MVP? No way should he get it. Same for KD, AD, Harden.

Steph, Kawhi, Jokic, Luka, Giannis, maybe PG13, maybe Booker if the Suns continue their run more than worthy candidates. No need to encourage entitled superstars to collude and ruin this league.

Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t Kawhi/PG count towards stars “colluding” all things considered?

[NyKnicks1714]

If the season ended today it's LeBron, even with the doodoo performance against Golden State. I feel like someone is bound to pass him but I don't know who it will be.

[Barnzy]

Durant is my MVP right now. But I think his stats will go down once Kyrie is back.

[MindState]

If the season ended today it's LeBron, even with the doodoo performance against Golden State. I feel like someone is bound to pass him but I don't know who it will be.

Stop. LeBron is having one of his worst seasons. He aint winning MVP averaging 23 points a game when he has a top 5 player also on his team.

[stormi]

Joel Embiid

[LesGrossman]

Are we sure LeBron is the Lakers' MVP? No way should he get it. Same for KD, AD, Harden.

Steph, Kawhi, Jokic, Luka, Giannis, maybe PG13, maybe Booker if the Suns continue their run more than worthy candidates. No need to encourage entitled superstars to collude and ruin this league.

Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t Kawhi/PG count towards stars “colluding” all things considered?

To some degree they do, i usually use the all nba teams as an orientation. Thats 15 players and the list isnt as much a popularity poll (and thus, purely offense oriented) as all star or MVP vote. I'll say Harden and KD are 1st team candidates and Bron and AD are alredy 1st teamers. Kawhi and PG, we'll see but i dont see either being promoted to 1st team. Of the star loaded teams they seem the weakest to me.

[evilpimp972]

Lebron James is not winning mvp averaging 23 pts per game. How and why is he number 1 for people here? He is coasting lol

[Gooner]

Lebron James is not winning mvp averaging 23 pts per game. How and why is he number 1 for people here? He is coasting lol

He is old, it's not coasting.

[BelgradeNugget]

Jokic will have the best numbers, but it remains to be seen if the Nuggets can bridge the record gap to make him a viable candidate.

Haven't seen a full Nuggets game thus far so I can't say why they are so underwhelming. Either way I won't reward Jokic for putting up numbers on an overall disappointing start to the year for Denver and mediocre team in general (record wise). The team has the talent and coaching to compete for a top 3 seed so I'm not sure what the problem is there. And I doubt Grant was that big of a blow. But then again maybe he was judging by the season he's having in Detroit. Hmm.

1. Wach games/Inform yourself about player/team
2. Form an opinion

[LesGrossman]

Lebron James is not winning mvp averaging 23 pts per game. How and why is he number 1 for people here? He is coasting lol

Because stans happen.

[Gooner]

Lebron James is not winning mvp averaging 23 pts per game. How and why is he number 1 for people here? He is coasting lol

Because stans happen.

They are brainwashed by the media. There are cetainly a few better players than LeBron right now, and the only way he could win the MVP is if Lakers have by far the best record, which they won't, because they are an old team in decline.

[LesGrossman]

Lebron James is not winning mvp averaging 23 pts per game. How and why is he number 1 for people here? He is coasting lol

Because stans happen.

They are brainwashed by the media. There are cetainly a few better players than LeBron right now, and the only way he could win the MVP is if Lakers have by far the best record, which they won't, because they are an old team in decline.

I dont even know what he does that would justify mentioning him. He literally plays no defense (did you wonder, too, how he was able to make a 1 on 0 layup after a made basket yesterday? My guess he stopped running over half court again, and just stayed to cherry pick), his shooting is shaky, and all he does is making overly dramatic, yet fundamentally basic passes to the team mates who happen to be elite finishers; meaning his passing is probably the single most overrated aspect of all players in this league. I'd say you can easily plug half a dozen guys in there next to AD, Trez, Mathews, Gasol, Schröder, Kuz and they'll perform equally good or better. Its all narrative at this point, and grimacing and flexing (only if he wins of course, otherwise he storms off the court like a spoiled child who got his toy taken away).

With the return of KD and Steph, i'd also say the time for Giannis has come where he has to show more than just euro step and vicious dunk.

[Johnny Firpo]

This can be one of those rare years where we won't know who's going to win, until they actually tell us.

[art_tatum]

I want it to be jokic lol.

[cupcakesnake]

I might be prejudice against Lebron because I have him on my fantasy team this year, where he's just nothing special anymore. I'd look harder this year at Anthony Davis being the best player on the Lakers. Stats wise, AD just has him beat no matter how you slice it. Lebron's offense was invaluable to the Lakers last year on a defensive slanted roster. But now that they've swapped out Green/McGee/Dwight for Schroeder/Harrell (and Marc Gasol doesn't play big minutes), AD's defense is more indispensable. This is reflected in the on/off (AD +8.7 vs. Lebron's +5.8). Last year AD was a negative and Lebron had a massive plus. Don't get me wrong, Lebron is still the best player in the world until it gets proven otherwise in the playoffs, but I see more chill mode Lebron right now getting the offensive help he didn't have last year. That being said, I think both of the Lakers stars are in semi chill mode. Both under 25ppg with minutes in the low 30s.

The other LA team with the nice record is hard to evaluate! Kawhi and George are playing great, despite all the noise and the haters. But their bench is...beyond awful. The record is good, but the Clippers seem unimpressive overall, but how much do I penalize George and Kawhi for that? With their recent playoff meltdown, it's hard to imagine them mounting an MVP case. Kind of like Giannis, they've been put in purgatory until they escape in the playoffs. Kawhi doesn't deserve that though when you consider his body of work.

Luka and Jokic are the 2 most impressive offensive players in the NBA right now (and Doncic has been sneaky excellent on defense nearly every possession I've watched). But they're both sitting at 6-7, waiting for their teams to figure it out. Dallas has been injured and it feels like their season is just about to start. Denver is more concerning since they're predictably good on offense and horrible on defense. Jokic has looked decent on defense, I don't think he's the problem there. I expect both these teams to have winning records when the votes are tallied.

If Durant keeps up his current production, and helps Brooklyn be okay on defense, he'll be my pick.

Tatum/Brown, Embiid, Giannis, Dame, Harden, Curry, Domantas Sabonis are the other guys I'd throw on the list right now.

[Brooklyn91]

I’m obviously biased, but KD is my pick. Now I know I know, super team this, super team that, but the man is coming off an Achilles injury, an injury in which many said he would never be the same

He’s averaging
30.6 PPG
7.1 REB
5.7 AST
54/48/87 shooting splits as the nets are 0.5 games behind for the 1st seed. If he continues elite production all year he has the narrative to on his side.

Read on Twitter

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[Stribor]

This one is really hard this year.
Somehow this:
1. Embid - By far the best player in a good positioned team.
2. Giannis - Similar to Ambiid but with a better cast.
3. KD - Great numbers, penalised atm becuase they are only fifth.
4/5 - Jokic, Doncic, Both great numbers but really strrugling teams atm.
6. LBJ - not so great numbers but really winning team

All can change in 2 weeks time.

[Some smartguy]

At this point in the season, IMO it is:
1. LeBron
2. Embiid
3. Luka
4. Jokic
5. KD
6. Giannis
7. PG
8. Curry
9. Dame
10. Tatum
I think Luka will win it at the end of the season, but it depends on the health and record of the players' teams.

lmao, no way in hell is Luka/Embiid ahead of Jokic/KD/Giannis rn.

Have you been watching basketball this year? KD has been playing good, but his touches will naturally decline as the season goes on from Kyrie+Harden. Giannis will not win it. The fact that he put up better stats last year on a team with a better record, with voter fatigue from the past two years lowers his chances drastically. Jokic can be over Luka/Embiid, but a definite no to KD/Giannis. Honestly, looking at it again I'd probably have Embiid/Jokic/Luka/maybe KD over LeBron.

[Jadoogar]

i had KD as my pick before the season and he has been pretty great no doubt but now with Harden, i don't think he can win
I would have Jokic, Giannis, Lebron, Embiid, KD as my top 5