The-Power wrote:Doctor MJ wrote:Won't be surprised at all if he quickly starts gaining MVP narrative traction and wins the thing, though I still think Jokic has been even more impressive.
What is your take on Giannis? I see them as having very comparable seasons but I'd still give Giannis a slight edge, if only due to having played a bit more. Like you, I'd still have Jokic #1, though.
I know it's been said many times already, but it's crazy that after the supposed decline of the big man in the modern NBA, the three strongest MVP candidates are big men. Crazier even, none of them is Anthony Davis and all of them are playing a vastly different style. It's truly awesome to see!
After these three guys, I'd still have Curry 4th despite the recent struggles. He just makes the Warriors work at incredibly high levels when he's on the floor. Not sure who'd be next, though. Paul? Durant? Feels like there's something of a drop-off after those four guys.
edit: forgot about Gobert. He'd be in the conversation for top 5, too.
So, I still have Giannis ahead of Embiid at this point, and definitely in the top handful of MVP candidates, but I'd really like to see more obvious impact dominance from him. In the past two seasons we haven't seen him reach the extreme levels we did in the MVP years, and while that doesn't make me think less of him as a playoff performer - I think he was at his best last year on that crucial front - it's awfully hard for me to argue that he's winning that "doing more with less" argument that you typically need to win the MVP when you're barely on a 50 win pace.
In terms of guys who have actually been the most impactful on the court this year, seems like Jokic, Curry, Gobert & Embiid all have him beat. Now, some of that apparent edge may prove superficial and/or unsustainable, but something I will say is this:
If Giannis doesn't win a chip last year, I don't think people would be talking about him as a leading MVP candidate this year. I think people feel like he's earned another MVP based on the ring, and they aren't actually focused on the team performance with the same focus they would normally.
That's not me saying anyone is wrong for naming him their MVP, but when I see him rising to the top of MVP ballots en masse, I can't help but think how different the perspectives of many would be if the Bucks had lost in the 2nd round again last year and followed it up with an even worse regular season performance than their previous disappointing season.
I do think that Paul & Durant aren't in the same tier. With Paul I think that's to be expected - if he becomes a strong contender it will be on the back of people who are just going by record and sentiment - Durant is more interesting.
What's really striking about Durant is that I don't think he's ever had the kind of impact his stature indicates the way that every other player I've mentioned has. This doesn't necessarily mean he shouldn't be seen as a candidate for best player in the game - because that's something that in the end is decided based on being to outdo others in the playoffs. But in terms of playing in a way that just makes your team drastically more functional separated from any of his teammates, KD has no track record along those lines.
To me this speaks to an individualist's mindset. To Durant, he's the best because he can do THE THING better than everyone else, and the idea of manipulating the defense to key on him and make it easier for others to do THE THING is something that feels like a waste. He reminds me of a Moss/Owens wide receiver type in football (or early Jaime Tartt in Ted Lasso) where he isn't going to run routes unless he thinks he's getting the ball.
Worse, the trio that is in Brooklyn now, even when they pass the ball, feels like they have a fundamentally elitist mindset wherein non-star players don't actually matter, nor do the coaching techniques designed to get the most out of those guys.
In the end, I won't be surprised at all if he wins more championships like this, but when it comes to adding value by doing whatever the team needs to function best, he's not really the MVP type - with the obvious foil here being Steph Curry who has happily taken on a role that exhausts himself and the other team to allow his teammates to get easy looks.
And yeah, to me Curry remains a strong MVP candidate, though clearly weaker than he was earlier in the year when he was playing great and his team was the clear cut best team in the league. Right now I'd be inclined to go with Jokic, but I might still have Curry at #2.
