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

[Brooklyn91]

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.

Yea Embid is standing in the way of KD IMO. Being in the same conference, putting up the numbers he is and being at the top of the east. That’s huge right there. I doubt Giannas is getting rewarded again. Nuggets are struggling and so is Mavs. Lebron not really putting up great numbers so far but that can change.

[RUN T M C]

Real super teams aside, Jokic, Doncic, Embiid, Giannis, depending on how they finish record wise.

As good as Lebron/AD and KD/Harden/Irving are, their teams are pretty stacked. I think the voters will see that as well.

[baksuzz]

Jokic if Denver wins enough games
If not then Doncic if Dallas wins enough games
If not then KD/Embiid


Giannis will have numbers again but i dont see him getting it 3times in a row

[Muha_i_samolet]

What's the argument for KD? He's gonan split the votes with Harden and the Dumb-dumb.

[Stribor]

What's the argument for KD? He's gonan split the votes with Harden and the Dumb-dumb.

Probably , but atm it is what it is. It is hard to say who will win it, I can just make a list based on what happened. Any frontrunner is one injury away from not being in a discussion at all.

[Stribor]

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

I honestly do not see how LBJ can be in front of Jokic, Doncic and KD not to mention Giannis and Embiid . The only thing that is going for him is the score of his team. Numbers / he is not close, and he has much much better players around him. If he is in conversation than Tatum is also. LBJ really is just a nod for outstanding and still superstar game in his age, but no MVP...

[KyRo23]

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.

You must be new here.

LeBron in 71 days got so old that it is heavily effecting how he plays, and is not coasting.

[Doctor MJ]

The skepticism toward LeBron here seems pretty misguided to me to be honest.

You're watching the guy who was just the best player in last year's playoffs, lead the best team in the league while having a huge on-court +/-, so if you think LeBron's not being impressive, what exactly are you seeing that's bothering you?

I think it's always important to remember that a player's goal is not to score point or rack up any other stat, it's to win. LeBron's doing that, so what is he missing in your eyes?

If the answer is something that he may well still be able to do as well as he did in the 2020 playoffs, drop it. It's not an issue that should keep you from voting for LeBron.

I'm not saying to just hand the MVP to LeBron by any means, but the idea that if LeBron's only scoring 23 PPG he's not that valuable is backwards thinking.

As I look at the candidates this year, what I'm seeing in general are a bunch of guys who will likely be too flawed to be a strong MVP candidate...and LeBron. LeBron doesn't have to put up 2009 numbers this year. All he has to do is lead the best team in the league so long as no one else has an outlier year, which to this point, doesn't look like anyone will.

To me the biggest threat to LeBron is the possibility that AD will split the vote. If it's unclear who the MVP candidate for the Lakers should be, that probably will end up killing his candidacy. But so long as LeBron remains the clear cut Laker, and the Lakers remain the clear cut best team in the league with Dennis F-ing Shroeder as his 2nd best teammate, he's going to be a strong candidate that voters already feel sheepish about not voting for for the last half decade.

[baksuzz]

What's the argument for KD? He's gonan split the votes with Harden and the Dumb-dumb.

you can say the same for Lebron/Davis, Kawhi/George, Tatum/Brown but someone needs to take the award in the end

Like someone already said, at least 6-7 guys will have the numbers to win it. All depends on the record of their teams

[therealbig3]

If Giannis wins again it’ll be a travesty.

I think right now, based on a combo of winning and individual play, MVP is between KD and LeBron. They have MVP-level teammates, but they’ve been clearly better.

[greekbuck34]

It will be Jokic, Embiid, Doncic or Tatum. Whoever gets the higher seed. Top 2 seed in the East or top 3 in the West.
The league won't award the MVP of a superteam. They didn't do it for the Lakers and Lebron, they won't do it for Kawhi and KD either.

Like Shaq said:

"You got your little superteam, now it's championship or bust"

He was speaking about Harden but it stands for every top 5 player who chooses the easy road.

[Big J]

I watched the Lakers Dubs game last night, and Lebron doesn't look like he has the same burst & power to go through guys. Brad Wanamaker was D'ing him up and he couldn't get by him. He still has a ton of skills, but he just doesn't have the physical tools that he used to.

[Sharkboy242]

edit: oops, wrong thread.

[DCasey91]

Have been watching the past three Nuggets games. Their team besides Jokic is downright atrocious.

Like almost Westbrook/OKC bad. Legit lottery team imo due to form/injuries and loss of key players.

Durant/Harden Can certainly win MVP if they take the top seed in the East (Durant has had the way better start but Harden will be the primary ball handler from here on out.

James’s team will get the top 1-2 seed in the west barring any injuries of course (don’t want injuries to anyone it sucks).

He’s MVP of the league no question but I don’t think he’ll be putting up “MVP numbers, it’s regular season award after all.

Embiid is playing at an MVP level but will miss too many games.

Doncic same deal as Jokic but if zingis is fit they have the better team.

Giannis is Giannis.

Jokic (downright historic numbers/impact)
Durant
James
Embiid (will be out the race)
Giannis
Doncic
George (he’s having a great year so far)

So far honestly

Harden is the darkhorse imo

[therealbig3]

Jokic and Doncic aren’t on teams that are so bad in terms of supporting cast that voters will be impressed with 45-50 wins (or the equivalent for the shortened season) and a 4th-6th seed. Those teams were expected to be among the NBA’s elite this year, and so far they’ve been disappointing.

Just like I said Giannis winning would be a travesty, it would be a bigger travesty if Tatum wins it because of silly super team narratives. Because there are like at least 9 players that are crystal clearly better than him, it would be another Rose in 2011 MVP.

[DCasey91]

Jokic and Doncic aren’t on teams that are so bad in terms of supporting cast that voters will be impressed with 45-50 wins (or the equivalent for the shortened season) and a 4th-6th seed. Those teams were expected to be among the NBA’s elite this year, and so far they’ve been disappointing.

Just like I said Giannis winning would be a travesty, it would be a bigger travesty if Tatum wins it because of silly super team narratives. Because there are like at least 9 players that are crystal clearly better than him, it would be another Rose in 2011 MVP.

I def think Jokic has the worst team atm if you take him out compared to other MVP candidates.

Losing Grant,Plumlee, Craig，(MPJ injured, Murray out of form compared to the Bubble but I never saw him as an all star (no clear jump in production from and earlier stage, Barton hasn’t played since March, Millsap is old like proper old now)
In that perspective in my eyes it’s a pretty bad setup going on for Jokic.

Nuggets fans feel free to chime in, is the team as bad as I think it is or is more form/injury?

Jokic def has at least the numbers and certainly the narrative (only center in history to average a triple double let alone 10 assists that has never happened before in NBA’s history that’s pretty groundbreaking).

But yes giving the MVP to Tatum (rate him highly) would be quite unfortunate.

Carrying a lottery like team to a top 5 seed in west with no legit all stars is quite hard to do for any player.

[RB34]

LeBron gets cancelled out by AD.

[Stribor]

The skepticism toward LeBron here seems pretty misguided to me to be honest.

You're watching the guy who was just the best player in last year's playoffs, lead the best team in the league while having a huge on-court +/-, so if you think LeBron's not being impressive, what exactly are you seeing that's bothering you?

I think it's always important to remember that a player's goal is not to score point or rack up any other stat, it's to win. LeBron's doing that, so what is he missing in your eyes?

If the answer is something that he may well still be able to do as well as he did in the 2020 playoffs, drop it. It's not an issue that should keep you from voting for LeBron.

I'm not saying to just hand the MVP to LeBron by any means, but the idea that if LeBron's only scoring 23 PPG he's not that valuable is backwards thinking.

As I look at the candidates this year, what I'm seeing in general are a bunch of guys who will likely be too flawed to be a strong MVP candidate...and LeBron. LeBron doesn't have to put up 2009 numbers this year. All he has to do is lead the best team in the league so long as no one else has an outlier year, which to this point, doesn't look like anyone will.

To me the biggest threat to LeBron is the possibility that AD will split the vote. If it's unclear who the MVP candidate for the Lakers should be, that probably will end up killing his candidacy. But so long as LeBron remains the clear cut Laker, and the Lakers remain the clear cut best team in the league with Dennis F-ing Shroeder as his 2nd best teammate, he's going to be a strong candidate that voters already feel sheepish about not voting for for the last half decade.

Well MVP should in my mind have at least two of the three things. Those thigs are 1. great numbers 2. good team position 3. NOT being in super - team. LBJ is still the man, he has most of the rings of all the players now, but he is a bit flawed in 1 and 3. If Jokic or Doncic somehow manage to get to top 4 in the west, they would be clear favorites. At the moment I would say Embiid should be the frontrunner (although I am biased obviously), because Philly is not as stacked as Lakers, Clippers or Nets, they have a very good position, and he has great numbers. Honestly Giannis should be just behind him, but he has a intangible fact against him '= narrative. Why would LBJ be in front of for instance Tatum in your head?

[+2number4+]

If I have to pick just three who have high chances of winning at the end of regular season, all things considered.

Jokic
Luca

Luca's problem would be not winning enough games and it's like 90% of the criteria. (Although, WB says hi) Otherwise, there would be no discussion here.

Embiid Davis Lebron Giannis KD Harden PG Kawhi and throw in some other names as well. In the end, it will be a close fight between those two. Book it.

[Texas Chuck]

I think it's always important to remember that a player's goal is not to score point or rack up any other stat, it's to win.

Just pulling this out for emphasis even though it should be obvious. Clearly it's not.