Nikola Jokic goes in search of a sensational third-straight NBA MVP crown, but faces outstanding competition from Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as the regular season draws to a conclusion
Tuesday 28 March 2023 08:59, UK
Nikola Jokic has been the front-runner for the NBA's MVP award for the past few months, but Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo aren't going down without a fight. Who will emerge as the victor?
Voter fatigue? Haven't heard of it.
There's a reason why people keep flocking back to him year after year, and it has absolutely nothing to do with stat padding.
Indeed, the Joker has been relentless within the paint, dismantling opposing defences with his hot shooting and slick passing skills.
The two-time reigning MVP winner has notched nearly 25 points per game. He's also threatening to become the first center in NBA history to average a triple-double across an entire season. Simply absurd.
Can he top the charts for a third consecutive year? 'Three-peating' is no easy feat. The fact that it hasn't been done since the 1980s speaks volumes.
But given that Jokic's form this season has led the Denver Nuggets to pole position in the West despite a recent flurry of defeats, there's all the justification you need to lean in his favour. In his team's second skid of the season, he came up trumps.
The real test should've unfolded against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, but Joel Embiid's calf injury denied us an MVP showdown. Instead, Jokic will take on the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns in the final few games of the regular season.
If each of those ventures ends in a similar points haul then there'll be very little defence against seeing him join the NBA greats.
Embiid told us he'd "be the bad guy" if it meant he could snatch the MVP title away from Jokic. His work with the 76ers this year has proved there's no ceiling he won't smash to reach that level.
'The Process' gave us all something to think about when he orchestrated a scintillating comeback win over the Nuggets in late January, notching 47 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists while Jokic struggled to get past P.J Tucker.
Since then, Embiid has led the league in scoring for the second straight season with a career-high 33.4 points on a career-high 54.7 per cent shooting.
March was his most prolific month on the court. He racked up a sizzling 36.2 points per game, setting a Sixers franchise record with 10 straight 30-plus-point performances that gave his team the league's third-best offense.
His hot streak coinciding with the Nuggets' stumbling form briefly made him the betting favourite, but Jokic was quick to inspire his side out of that slump and back to winning ways.
All eyes now turn on the 76ers' upcoming schedule. It won't be an easy run-in; they still have games left against the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, and Brooklyn Nets.
If there's to be a reshuffle in the pecking order, Embiid will need to channel his inner March Madness through to April.
Let's not forget that this isn't just a conversation between Jokic and Embiid. While Giannis Antetokounmpo is fit and able to play, these two won't be able to let their guard down.
Perhaps that was the case two months ago when the Bucks were sliding down the Eastern Conference standings with an under-manned roster; 16 straight wins later, it all seems like a distant memory.
In that blitz to the top of the Eastern Conference, they unseated the Celtics and became the first team to earn a playoff berth.
Giannis led the charge by becoming the only player to average 30-10-5 this season with the best record and the steeliest defence in the league.
Just like Embiid and Jokic, he routinely puts up 30-point performances and is a juggernaut on both ends of the court. He won't be looking to slow down in the upcoming run.
That includes facing the Nuggets, Sixers, Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, all of whom are either already eliminated from playoff contention or are on the fringes of the play-in tournament.
Sure, this might mean less game-time for Giannis, but it would be foolish to think he won't make the most of each game to make the MVP conversation solely about him.
Our parting projections? He'll edge the votes, narrowly.
