I know, I know – we haven’t even reached Thanksgiving, so now is not the time to start any serious award discussions. Still, that won’t stop me from igniting the MVP debate one-fifth of the way through the NBA season! Defining the term ‘most valuable’ can be tricky, but I believe the correct answer is a blend of multiple factors including individual excellence, importance to their respective franchise and a team’s win-loss record. A handful of the league’s premier superstars have put their hat in the ring for the 2024-25 Michael Jordan trophy, so with 16ish games in the books, who has emerged as a genuine threat for the league’s top accolade?
If you like what you read be sure to check out more SportsbyFry articles by hitting this link. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest NBA articles and follow my fan pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to never miss a minute of the action!
Click here to subscribe on iTunes
(Feel free to leave a rating and review to help me move up the charts đź‘Ť)
Honourable Mentions: Victor Wembanyama, Domantas Sabonis, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, Karl-Anthony Towns, LaMelo Ball, James Harden
10. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (8-7)
Season Stats (9 games): 27.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG; 47.5 FG%, 43.1 3P%, 76.6 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Time will tell if trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks just days before training camp began was the wrong move for Minnesota. There’s no denying that moving on from KAT has allowed Anthony Edwards to take his game to another level, with the ascending phenom expected by most to vault himself into superstar status this season. Edwards has been launching away from behind the arc (2nd in the NBA for 3PT attempts so far) and he is on track to record the highest scoring average in a single season by a Timberwolves player if he keeps this pace up. And yet, Ant-Man will need a much greater winning percentage if he wants to truly challenge for this trophy.
9. De’Aaron Fox, Kings (8-7)
Season Stats (15 games): 28.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.7 APG; 50.6 FG%, 35.5 3P%, 83.8 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
He may not hold down residence in the top-10 for the entire season, but De’Aaron Fox is COOKING to start the 2024-25 campaign. Sacramento will go as far as their star guard can take them and after pouring in a franchise record 60 points last Friday, Fox backed it up with 49 points the very next night! Only Kobe Bryant (110 points) has scored more over two consecutive days in the last 50 seasons – putting the Sacto speedster rare, rare company. If the Kings’ bucket-getter can maintain his blistering pace then there’s optimism that they can return to the postseason after falling short in the play-in a year ago.
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (6-9)
Season Stats (14 games): 32.1 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 6.1 APG; 61.0 FG%, 18.2 3P%, 57.9 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo as a member of the MVP ladder isn’t surprising, but it’s been quite a while since he featured this far down the list. An 8th-placed ranking is through no fault of his own, with the Milwaukee wrecking ball leading the NBA in scoring at over 32 PPG and putting forth some eye-popping performances. The rest of his Bucks teammates didn’t get the memo though and as a result, they have chalked up their worst record through 15 games since Giannis’ rookie campaign back in 2013-14. Antetokounmpo’s legitimacy in this award race has taken a hit, however, there is plenty of time to turn things around.
7. Kevin Durant, Suns (9-7)
Season Stats (9 games): 27.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.4 APG; 55.3 FG%, 42.9 3P%, 83.6 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Over the first nine games of his season, Kevin Durant performed like a true frontrunner for the Michael Jordon trophy. Phoenix only had one loss to their name and their franchise-calibre talent was putting up an effortless 27 points a night with his usual impressive efficiency. Then, he strained his calf. Since KD went out, the Suns have gone on a 1-6 run and if anything, their shortcomings enhance Durant’s case as the league’s MVP. If he can right the ship and help the Arizona-based franchise climb the standings when he returns, then he’ll undoubtedly climb on these ladder rungs at the same time.
6. Steph Curry, Warriors (11-3)
Season Stats (11 games): 23.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.5 APG; 49.1 FG%, 44.1 3P%, 95.0 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Most basketball fans believed that Golden State’s winning days had come to an end when Klay Thompson left in the offseason. They may not maintain their hot start for the duration of the season, although they are still excelling with one Splash Brother in uniform. Steph Curry is once again the driving force behind their success and while his per-game averages have dipped compared to previous elite seasons, he is on track to record the second 50-40-90 season of his NBA career. Only two teams have got off to a better start than the Warriors and if they maintain this pace then Curry will find himself firmly in the mix for the league’s highest individual honour.
5. Cleveland’s core four (16-1)
Season Stats:
Donovan Mitchell (16 games): 24.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG; 46.5 FG%, 40.1 3P%, 83.1 FT%
Darius Garland (16 games): 20.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 7.0 APG; 49.2 FG%, 43.0 3P%, 93.5 FT%
Evan Mobley (16 games): 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG; 56.3 FG%, 37.9 3P%, 83.9 FT%
Jarrett Allen (17 games): 14.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 1.8 APG; 68.5 FG%, N/A 3P%, 76.2 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
I struggled to decide which of Cleveland’s big 4 deserved the most recognition for their historic 16-1 start. Splitting them and shining light on just one Cavalier was a tall task, so in the end, I opted to give all of them some love. Yes, Donovan Mitchell is the Cavs’ best player, but there have been times when Darius Garland has erupted offensively, Evan Mobley has made an impressive two-way impact and thrived with the ball in his hands, or Jarrett Allen has looked like one of the best big’s in the league with his play in the paint. They have benefitted from the rest of their conference’s mediocrity and we should see at least one Cleveland star feature consistently on this ladder throughout the season.
Image from thesportsrush.com
4. Anthony Davis, Lakers (10-5)
Season Stats (14 games): 31.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 2.8 APG; 57.3 FG%, 43.3 3P%, 78.3 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Even casual NBA fans are aware that LeBron James belongs in the G.O.A.T conversation, and yet, Anthony Davis has now taken the mantle from the King as the Lakers’ best player. Having scored 20+ points in every game this season with eight double-doubles and five games registering at least three blocks, a healthy AD is helping L.A. stay in touch with the top of the Western Conference. After featuring in a career-high 76 games last campaign, we would need to see Los Angeles’ paint presence play 70+ games again if he wants to do more than just make up the numbers in the MVP field. For a decade Davis has flirted with making a serious run at this award, and maybe, just maybe, this will be the year he makes a full-tilt assault.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (12-4)
Season Stats (16 games): 28.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.3 APG; 50.0 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 89.6 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
After finishing as the runner-up six months ago, no one would be shocked to see SGA walk away with the MVP award this season. His Thunder squad are expected to rival the rest of the league for the best win-loss ledger and the play from Gilgeous-Alexander will go a long way to determining just how many W’s they chalk up. Injuries to OKC’s key big men have made life much harder for them out of the gates, although thanks to a near 29/5/6 line from the dual All-Star, the Thunder still find themselves near the top of the conference after 16 games. Barring anything crazy, Shai should keep his name firmly in contention for a maiden Michael Jordan trophy.
2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (8-5)
Season Stats (10 games): 29.7 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 11.7 APG; 56.3 FG%, 56.4 3P%, 84.3 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Let’s get one thing straight – if Nikola Jokic hadn’t missed the last three games, he would probably sit at No. 1 in the first MVP check-in. I could spend hours talking about Jokic’s importance and excellence for Denver, with the three-time winner somehow enhancing his per-game numbers yet again this season. However, availability is the best ability and if the Nuggets’ premier talent misses Friday’s game against Dallas, he will have already missed more games than he did in the entire 2023-24 campaign. We all believe Jokic will take out pole position at some point this season, but I have to dock him for featuring in just 77% of Denver’s games thus far.
1. Jayson Tatum, Celtics (12-3)
Season Stats (15 games): 29.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 5.9 APG; 46.4 FG%, 39.4 3P%, 81.3 FT%
Last Rank: N/A
Simply put, Jayson Tatum is the best player on the best team. Record-wise, the Celtics may not emerge with the overall 1-seed by the time the regular season concludes, but if they go close to recording 65 wins again, their franchise cornerstone will garner plenty of award buzz. In the biggest regular season matchup to date between Cleveland and Boston, Tatum looked every bit like an MVP contender – recording 33 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists against the previously undefeated Cavs. That’s just one of the stellar games that the Celtics’ go-to guy has had thus far this season, shooting the deep ball with way more confidence and conviction than we’ve seen previously. He faces an uphill task to fight off those around him, and yet, Tatum deserves to be at the top of this list through the first portion of the NBA season.
Banner from boston.com