The Race

by Staff Reporter, Konrad Gonzalez

MATT SLOCUM // Associated Press

This year's NBA Most Valuable Player race has been one for the ages as it is unique in its own way. The season has had many ups and downs due to COVID-19.

There are many new candidates and many old ones for this year's MVP award. Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard/small forward Lebron James, Philadelphia 76ers power forward/center Joel Embiid, and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic are some of the biggest names hoping to be this year’s MVP. They have all been moving up and down the list as their performances have been spectacular.

“Guys, he’s the best player in the league,” Jokic said when asked about James’s shot at the award. “He’s a guy who [has been] doing this for a long time and affects the game in every possible way.”

James has been one of the biggest stories this year and has made arguably the best case for MVP. The Lakers had a stretch of three straight overtime wins where James came in clutch time after time to help rally the Lakers in all three overtime wins.

The 76ers played and defeated the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Feb. 19 despite the absence of point guard Ben Simmons, who was ruled out with an illness pregame. Embiid had to deal with the loss of his co-star and put up MVP worthy numbers with 50 points and 17 rebounds. The double-double to go along with five assists and four blocks skyrocketed his case for MVP.

“Joel Embiid is 275 pound Hakeem Olajuwon!!! His footwork is some of the best I’ve ever seen for a Big man. Carry on…,” former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins tweeted.

Jokic, also known as “The Joker,” is averaging 27/10/8 while shooting 56.0 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from three, and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. The Joker averages a double-double each game while making the Nuggets the 7th seed with injuries plaguing them. Jokic’s numbers are ridiculously good, perhaps MVP caliber.

“He’s going to get the minutes, he’s going to get the opportunity,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We know that (Jokic) is an efficient scorer. He is a tremendous playmaker and he’s a heckuva rebounder. I think he’s one of the few players in the NBA that you could realistically say would have a chance to average a triple-double on a season.”

The top three MVP candidates all have a very good case. We’ll have to see in the second half of the season who moves up and down.