As we are approaching the halfway point of this season, let's take a look at who is on track to have a chance of winning the Most Valuable Player award this season.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid was last season's MVP, and he is having another terrific season, on track to possibly win the award again. This season Embiid is averaging a very impressive 34.6 Points, 11.8 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 2.4 Blocks, and 1.5 Steals, while making 53.5% of his shots. Additionally, The 76ers currently have the 3rd best record in the Eastern Conference which also helps his case.
Embiid is currently the favorite to win MVP, but he may be putting his chances at risk. There is a new rule this season that says a player cannot win an award if they miss more than 17 games in the season. Embiid has already missed 8 games, so if he misses too many more he may become ineligible to win MVP.
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic won MVP in both 2021 and 2022 and also had a strong case to win it last season. This season, as expected, he is playing extremely well again. He is averaging 26 Points, 12 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 1.5 Blocks, and 1.2 Steals while making 57% of his shots. The Nuggets won the finals last season and currently have the 3rd best record in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic has not won MVP yet in his career, but that could change any year now as he has been putting up very impressive stats his whole career. This season he is averaging 33.6 Points, 9 Assists, 8 Rebounds, and 1.4 Steals while making 49% of his shots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo won MVP in both 2019 and 2020 and was a finalist for the award the past 2 seasons. This season he is continuing his impressive play, averaging 31.6 Points, 11.5 Rebounds, 5.7 Assists, 1.2 Blocks, and 1.2 Steals while making 61% of his shots.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has also not won MVP yet in his career, but he is certainly on the right track. Last season he won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, and he has improved even more this season, now in the MVP discussion. This season he is averaging a very strong 31.5 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6.4 Assists, and 2.4 Steals while making 55% of his shots. Thanks to his strong play, the Thunder currently have the 2nd best record in the Western Conference and are looking like they could make a good run in the playoffs.
In past years, the way that all of these players are performing would easily be enough for them to win MVP, but there are just so many talented players in the league now so it is getting harder and harder to win it. We still have about half the season left, so we will see if any of them clearly stand out as the favorite to win it at the end of the season.