2022-23 NBA MVP Race: Jayson Tatum Still Hold The First Place, But Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Overtake Him Soon

The MVP race in the NBA is heating up as the 2022-23 season trudges on. Injuries and lousy team records have begun to seal the fate of some players’ cases, while others have begun to ascend to the top. The MVP race is always the most intriguing part of NBA award season, and so far in 2022-23, it has not disappointed. Many players who had not cracked the top 10 earlier in the season have begun to crack the list, while some have fallen out of the Top 10 completely. Some other major changes have occurred since our last rankings so let’s go over them as well before we dive into the MVP award.

One thing to watch as this season unfolds is the fluctuation in the NBA standings. Currently, the Memphis Grizzlies hold a 1 game lead over the Pelicans and Nuggets in the Western Conference. Yes, you read that correctly. In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks have finally caught up to the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference as they sit tied for the No. 1 spot at this moment. Also, two players in the middle of this list have suffered injuries that will likely cost them a spot the next time we meet.

These are the Top 10 MVP candidates up until December 20, 2022.

10. Joel Embiid

Previous Rank: Not Ranked

2022-23 Stats: 33.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.6 BPG

The last time we released our rankings, Joel Embiid was nowhere to be found due to his injury that sidelined him for 8 games. The fact that Embiid is only in the No. 10 spot this week is directly due to that fact otherwise, he has a case to be Top 5 this week. The 76ers are right in the think of the standings in the East at 16-12 and in the 5th spot. With Embiid and James Harden returning, the Sixers are definitely a team to watch out for as the season unfolds if their core can stay on the court.

Since his return to the lineup, Embiid has averaged 34.9 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.4 BPG on 55.6% shooting. He has played 4 games since our last ranking, in which he eclipsed 30 points in all 4 games. His best performance came in a win over the Hornets on December 12th. Embiid recorded 53 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks, shooting 20-32 from the field or 62.5%. Embiid currently has a streak of 6 straight games of 30+ points and has the Pistons, Knicks, and Clippers ahead of him on the schedule.

9. Stephen Curry

Previous Rank: No. 6

2022-23 Stats: 30.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Stephen Curry takes a significant dive in this week’s MVP ranks, and I hate to disappoint his fans, but it will only get worse. Despite Curry’s early-season heroics and doing all he can to keep the Warriors relevant in the West, the team has dropped to 15-16 since our last rankings. Yes, Curry is having an all-time great season right now, which is mainly why he is still Top 10 on this list, but even that cannot save him from the inevitable drop of out the Top 10 due to his recent shoulder injury.

Curry is set to miss the next few weeks with a shoulder injury, and it could be longer based on rehabilitation. Before the injury, Curry played 3 games that resulted in a 1-2 record against the competition. He has 32 points in a big win over the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals rematch. He also had 20 and 38 points, respectively, in losses to both the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. Your MVP case gets hurt when your team loses games, but it also gets hurt when you can’t suit up for action.

8. Anthony Davis

Previous Rank: No. 5

2022-23 Stats: 27.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.1 BPG

Over the past few weeks, we have watched Anthony Davis play perhaps the best basketball of his career. Davis was playing such good basketball on both ends of the floor that he found himself in our Top 5 for MVP despite the Lakers sub .500 record. The injury bug has unfortunately struck Davis again, causing him to 2 of the past 6 games, and it looks like much more moving forward. With his latest foot injury, Davis is set to miss at least a month, and as we have seen before, it could take a long time for him to get back to the way he was playing just one week ago.

In the 4 games that Davis was able to play since we last did our rankings, the Lakers finished with a 2-2 record against the Sixers, Pistons, Celtics, and Nuggets. Davis went for 31 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the 76ers and 37 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Celtics. The Lakers won their contest against the Pistons, with Davis going for 34 points and 15 rebounds on the night. He played just 17 minutes against the Nuggets before exiting with the foot injury that will keep him sidelined for the next 4 weeks or so. We are all wishing Davis a speedy recovery and a quick return to the court.

7. Zion Williamson

Previous Rank: Not Ranked

2022-23 Stats: 25.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Our second newcomer to the Top 10 MVP candidates this week is Zion Williamson. The New Orleans Pelicans sit just 1 game out of 1st place in the Western Conference at 18-11, and Zion is a big reason why. Zion has played in 24 of 29 games this year for the Pelicans and is averaging over 25.0 PPG on 61.0% shooting for the pelicans, who have the league’s 5th-best offense and 6th-best defense headed into this week.

For ZionWilliamson, the last 6 games since our previous rankings have catapulted him to Top 10 MVP status and moved closer to Top 5. In those 6 games, Williamson is averaging 31.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 5.7 APG on 66.1% shooting. Zion took care of the Suns on December 9th and 11th with back-to-back 35-point games and wins over the then 1-seeded Suns. He also recorded back-to-back 30-point games in losses to the Jazz and Suns this past weekend. Up next for Zion and the Pelicans this week are the Spurs, Thunder, and Pacers which are all favorable matchups for Zion to continue climbing the MVP race.

6. Ja Morant

Previous Ranking: No. 10

2022-23 Stats: 26.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG

For the entirety of the 2022-23 season so far, Ja Morant has been one of the best point guards in basketball for the 1st place Memphis Grizzlies. It hasn’t been his incredible feats of athleticism but his improved shooting and playmaking that have bumped him to just outside the Top 5 for the MVP award. Morant is averaging 1.0 APG more than last season and has also shot the ball extremely well despite a slight dip in field goal percentage. Morant has the Grizzlies back into the 1 seed in the West just a few months after I heard many saying the Grizzlies were ready for a fall off the top earlier this season.

Over the past 2 weeks since our last ranking, Morant has played in 5 games and the Grizzlies went 4-1 in those contests. Morant averaged 18.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 8.5 APG on just 38.8% shooting overall and 19.0% from three. Morant’s struggles simply have not affected Memphis’ spot in the standings, and he has impacted the game in far more beneficial ways than just scoring the basketball. On December 7th, Morant had his best game of the scratch when he recorded a 26-point, 13-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double in a win over the Thunder.

5. Luka Doncic

Previous Rank: No. 4

2022-23 Stats: 33.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

We kick off our Top 5 MVP candidates with a player who continues to slip down the rankings. Luka Doncic began the season as one of the Top 2 MVP candidates, but over the past 2 weeks, things have looked bleak for the young phenom. Doncic and the Mavericks have slipped to a 15-15 record and now sit in the play-in games as the No. 9 seed in the West. Doncic has done all he can do to keep things afloat for the Mavericks, but his supporting cast and coach have let him down completely.

Doncic has missed 2 of the 6 games Dallas has played over the last 2 weeks, with an overall record of 2-4 in those games. In those 4 games he played, Doncic had 30-point nights in each game. In a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 12th, Doncic poured in 38 points to go with 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Then, in a 20-point win over the Trail Blazers, Doncic recorded 33 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. If Luka cannot save the Mavericks’ season, a slip down or even out of the Top 10 is inevitable.

4. Kevin Durant

Previous Rank: No. 8

2022-23 Stats: 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG

I have to admit that I am one of the people who wrote off the Brooklyn Nets as they went through yet another drama-filled start to the 2022-23 season. Kevin Durant has all but made me look crazy in my prediction of a 7 seed or lower for the Nets, who have stormed up the Eastern Conference standings to the 4th spot at 19-12 on the year. Durant has been at the forefront of the surge, of course, helping the Nets to win 10 of their last 11 games.

Winners of 7 in a row, the Nets and Kevin Durant have not dropped a game since we last released our MVP rankings. Durant played in 5 of these games and averaged 32.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 1.0 BPG. He has also shot the ball 46.2% from three and 62.2% overall. The efficiency and high-level scoring are back for Durant, which does not bode well for the rest of the NBA at this point. If the Nets and Durant can shore up their defensive issues, the Nets will be a tough opponent to beat come playoff time.

3. Nikola Jokic

Previous Rank: No. 3

2022-23 Stats: 25.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 9.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.7 BPG

As you are beginning to gather, the Top 3 for MVP have not changed in our eyes. Coming in at No. 3 this week is Nikola Jokic, defending back-to-back MVP and the man who has the Denver Nuggets just 1 game back of the first seed in the West. Jokic’s scoring numbers have taken a slight dip from in the last 2 seasons, but his rebounding and playmaking are possibly better than ever, which is scary considering how good he has been these last few seasons. Jokic and the Nuggets had huge expectations placed on them with the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to the lineup, and they have answered that call.

In their last 5 games, the Nuggets have gone 4-1 over that stretch, and Jokic has been the leader in the locker room. During this stretch, Jokic is averaging 34.4 PPG, 14.8 RPG, 9.8 APG, 2.4 SPG, and 1.2 BPG. He has shot the ball 59.4% from the field and 31.9% from three. Jokic’s best game came in a big win over the Hornets, where he scored 40 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. Look out, world, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are here.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Previous Rank: No. 3

2022-23 Stats: 30.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Another player who will remain in the Top 3 this week is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis and the Bucks have done what many thought they couldn’t do and caught up with the Boston Celtics for a share of the Eastern Conference 1 seed. Giannis has been incredible on both sides of the ball and has inserted himself into both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year conversations. His play has energized a Milwaukee team that somewhat struggled around 15-20 games into the season, and now they look like the powerhouse they should be.

Over their last 6 games, the Milwaukee Bucks have gone 4-2, while the Celtics have gone 1-4 to even up the Eastern Conference. Over that time, Giannis has averaged 25.6 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.0 SPG. Giannis has 2 30-point games over that span and a 16-point, 18-rebound performance in a loss to Houston. Giannis and the Bucks look poised to work deep into the playoffs and possibly toward their second title in 3 years.

1. Jayson Tatum

Previous Rank: No. 1

2022-23 Stats: 30.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Remaining at the No. 1 spot for the 2nd rankings in a row is Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Tatum and Boston have slipped as of late, going 1-4 in their last 5 games, but he is still playing at an elite enough level to be considered the MVP up to this point. Tatum has improved every facet of his game one season removed from leading the Celtics to the NBA Finals. His points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage are all up from last year as they share the NBA’s best record with the Milwaukee Bucks.

As previously stated, the Celtics are struggling as of late, going 2-4 since our last rankings were released. Tatum has still been elite over that time, with 27.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on 42.2% shooting from the field overall. In a win over the Lakers on December 13th, Tatum recorded 44 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in a big road win for Boston. After 2 months of thinking Boston was about to run away with the East, things have gotten a lot more interesting as the season carries on. One sure thing is that Jayson Tatum has been the MVP for 2022-23 so far. 

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