One third of the NBA’s regular season has already been played and teams have started to show exactly where they will end up by the time the season comes to a close. Individual players have also distinguished themselves, four of them in particular, and the race for MVP is heating up.
Steph Curry’s had an incredible start to the season as the early MVP frontrunner, he’s broken multiple records and established himself as the greatest shooter of all time. Kevin Durant leads the league in scoring as his Nets sit atop the Eastern Conference.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is putting up another historic statistical season while Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to impress after a shaky start to the season for his NBA champions Bucks.
The season has also been disrupted multiple times thanks to various players testing positive for Covid-19. Teams have been forced to sign players to 10-day contracts meaning performances have been quite inconsistent.
And JJ Redick seems to think this makes it the most uncertain MVP race in NBA history, saying as much on his The Old Man And The Three podcast.
“The best player in the world, it’s so weird, it feels like it changes almost on a daily or weekly basis. Obviously, Kevin I think is the best player in the world. But in terms of who is playing best across the league, at times it’s been Steph, at times it’s been Giannis, at times it’s been Jokic.“
“Jokic, I’ll say it again, has had as good of an individual season maybe as we’ve seen in the NBA. Period. Player Efficiency Rating (PER) – number one, by far, of all time, and that’s including Wilt, Michael, LeBron, Larry, Magic – you name it.”
“Giannis, from day one, has been phenomenal. I still think he has a legitimate shot at winning his third MVP.”
Considering team records, Jokic would be the least likely to win but with more than half of the season left to go. Durant and Giannis will continue to fight it out in the East as well, but if Curry and his Warriors continue to hold the NBA’s best record, it will be difficult to deny him.
