Who is the MVP frontrunner through 40 games?
The NBA season is about forty games in, and there have been some surprises. Nobody thought that the Cavaliers would be as good as they are, or the Rockets. But, what hasn't been a surprise is the NBA MVP rankings. We have almost identical rankings from last season, but those same players have been putting up different stats. So, lets get right into it.
In NBA.coms latest MVP ladder, their MVP rankings look something like this:
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Nikola Jokić
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Karl-Anthony Towns
5. Victor Wembanyama
We strongly disagree with this list, so we're going to fix it up a bit for you and explain why.
5. Donovan Mitchell
The fact that Donovan Mitchell is not even in the top five on that list is absurd, as he is leading the Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA at 36-7. Mitchell himself is averaging 23.2/4.5/4.5 with 1.4 steals per game. He's shooting 44% from the field and 44% from behind the arc also this season, while leading a historic team. The Cavs are a top five in both points scored and points allowed this season and Mitchell is a huge part of that.
4. Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is a freak of nature. He's averaging 24.4/10.8/3.7 this season, while averaging 4 BLOCKS PER GAME. He's doing all of this while hitting three 3's a game on 35% efficiency. Now, the Spurs don't have the best record, or else he would be way higher on this list. The Spurs are sitting at 19-22 right now, but without Wemby they might not even have a win.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis has won two MVP's in his career, but this might be his best season yet. He's averaging 31.5/12/6 with a block and a steal to go along with it. The only flaw in his game is his shooting, as he is shooting 15% from three and 58% from the foul line. But, Giannis is almost unstoppable when he gets into the paint or basically anywhere inside the three point line. Giannis is shooting near 75% on two point field goals this season, and that is a huge reason why he's number three on our list.
2. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander
Shai is a lot of peoples MVP frontrunner, but we just don't see it. But, this part is about his greatness, so we will speak of that. Shai is having an unbelievable season. He is the league leader in points per game at 32, and is also averaging five rebounds, six assists, a block and two steals. The main reason that Shai is at the top of the MVP ladder is that he is leading the Thunder to the best record in the league, tied with the Cavs. If they keep this up, he could very well win the MVP.
1. Nikola Jokić
Last but not least, winning his fourth MVP this season will be, Nikola Jokić. Jokić is averaging 30.1/13.2/9.9 while shooting 56% from the field and 47% from three. Jokić is leading almost every single advanced stat known to man, and is also .01 assists away from being the third player ever to average a triple double for a season. Now, the Nuggets started off slow with a 11-10 record, but since then have picked it up tremendously and they are now sitting at fourth in the Western Conference. With Jokić on the floor, the Nuggets are one of the greatest offensive teams of all time. But, without Jokić, they are statistically the worst offensive team in the league. That is the stat that proves why Nikola Jokić is the MVP through forty games.