Jayson Tatum was viewed as the MVP frontrunner for much of the first half of the season, but the Boston Celtics superstar has fallen down the pecking order since.
Still, Paul George said on the first episode of “Podcast P” that he is picking Tatum as his MVP this season.
“What Tatum is doing is impressive,” George said. “Young guy, went to the finals last year, he could have very well been satisfied with that. He’s gotten better though, his game has gotten better, and he’s confident with who he is as a player in this league now, and it’s showing. 40 balls, 50 balls, like he is going crazy and what is Boston? First in the east? You’ve gotta give it to Tatum, what he’s doing is incredible. That team, people didn’t think that team was gonna get back to where they’re at. They didn’t think they were going to be that successful last year, and what they’re doing now, Tatum is my favorite in the MVP race.”
Tatum is undoubtedly having an outstanding season. He is averaging 30.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.0 SPG in this campaign and deserves to be in the running for the award. It is highly unlikely he wins it though, as the Celtics no longer have the best record in the NBA. Three straight defeats have seen the Celtics drop to 45-21 and they are now two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks who sit atop the Eastern Conference.
MVP would be the last thing on Tatum’s mind at this moment as well, as he would be focused on getting the Celtics back on track. He missed their latest loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a left knee contusion but the team is hopeful he can return for their next game. His co-star Jaylen Brown almost had a triple-double against the Cavs in his absence, finishing with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists but it wasn’t enough as they lost in overtime. It was a valiant effort, but Brown made it clear there are no moral victories here and that they just have to win games.
Can Anyone Challenge Nikola Jokic For MVP?
As for who is the favorite for the award at the moment, it is Nikola Jokic. The Serbian has led the Denver Nuggets to the best record in the Western Conference and is averaging a triple-double for the season. He is the clear favorite for the award and it will take an incredible collapse for him to not win it.
Brian Windhorst though feels that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the one who deserves to win MVP. He pointed to Giannis’ impact on both ends of the court and said the Bucks forward has his vote for the award. Antetokounmpo is certainly going to be Jokic’s closest challenger but it seems unlikely at this point that he’ll overtake the Serb.
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