The league MVP race is heating up by the day. Over the last few months, several athletes have been on their ‘A-Game’, presenting a solid case for the trophy. However, there can only be one winner, and recently, Stephen Jackson provided some in-depth analysis on who that could be. The NBA veteran also argued for a player who hasn’t been mentioned often in the MVP race this season, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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On the recent episode of ATS UNPLUGGED, Matt Barnes listed out some of the MVP contenders for this season and asked Jackson who would win the trophy. With a competition this close, it wasn’t easy for the NBA veteran to simply pick one from the lot. So he went on to analyze the players’ performances for their teams.
Jackson said, “It’s so close, I’m going with… I think Minnesota and Denver would be one of the two teams to end up number one. So, if Denver wins it, Jokic definitely deserves it. But if Minnesota wins, I think Ant-Man deserves the MVP. But if something crazy happens where OKC ends up in number one spot, I think Shai deserves it.”
Jackson stated that since there isn’t a huge gap between these individuals, the impact of their performances on the team should be a factor to decide this season’s MVP. Barnes pointed out that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been leading a young team from the front as well and that should be considered a factor while making a decision for the MVP race. Apart from these three names, Barnes and Jackson also talked about Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum because they’re also strong contenders this year.
Nikola Jokic is leading the current MVP chart
According to the KIA MVP Ladder, the Nuggets star is leading the pack with 26.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. Jokic is pretty much the favorite once again. But it isn’t going to be so easy because there’s a unanimous ‘Big 3’ for the MVP title and Jokic is facing tough competition from the other two. Doncic is right behind him on the second spot with 33.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.
The Mavs star switching gears in the last few weeks has also pushed the conversation around his name on another level. Shai with 30.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists is on the third spot in the race and completes the ‘Big 3’. As Barnes stated on the show, Shai being on a team like the OKC and still locking horns with the other two deserves major recognition. Whoever ends up winning the trophy, it’s undeniable that each of these players deserve major props for putting out great performances consistently.
