As Christmas approaches, the NBA schedule is over 1/3, and the competition for major awards begins to become fierce. In the MVP scramble, the "two-person turn" situation between KD and Curry was basically formed. In the official list of the previous weeks, Curry has beaten KD. But combined with this week's performance, KD should be the first.
Here are the top 5 players predicted by the author of the MVP list
TOP5: Paul, the Suns
Paul's stats aren't pretty, averaging just 14.6 points, four rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. But Paul is the best team engine in the league and can lead the team to win easily, and that's where point guard value lies. Paul is the quintessential final-quarter killer, and when the game enters the final five minutes, Paul's shooting percentage is as high as 60.9%, ranking first in the league. CP3 may be going to be hard to win that award in the end, but at this stage of the season, I don't think there are more than four players in the league who have done a better job than Paul, who deserves to be in the top 5.
4. Alphabet brother, buck
The defending champions have been ravaged by injuries, but they still finish fifth in the league with a 19-11 record. This is the value of the alphabet brother. He currently ranks second in the league in points (27.0), sixth in rebounds (11.6) and 12th in blocks (1.6), and among frontcourt players, only Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic have averaged more assists per game (5.8) than Alphabet Brother.
The Bucks' slow start to the season put him at a disadvantage in the MVP campaign, but his performances over the past few weeks have brought him back to the topic. However, Alphabet Brother triggered a health and safety agreement, which would have kept him out of the game for a while, which affected his ranking.
3. Jokic, Nuggets
The Nuggets' 14-14 record looks very average. But Jokic's level of play does. He led an injury-plagued Nuggets team and scored a 50% win rate, which is his value.
In 26 games, Jokic ranked fifth in the league in points (26.6), second in rebounds (11.2) and 10th in assists (7.5) – the only non-point guard in the top 10. His offense is very efficient, shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three-point range. With him on the floor, the Nuggets are a good team. If this can't be called an MVP, I don't know what else can be done.
2. Curry, Warriors
In the first quarter of the season, Curry was a recognized MVP winner. But in recent games, Curry's form has declined. That being said, his data is beautiful as well. Curry shot 13.4 three-pointers per game, averaging a career-high 5.4 three-pointers per game. Curry not only juggles the individual offense, but also makes his teammates just right. This season, Curry has improved the quality of one-on-one defense and blocking, and he has taken on more responsibility in this regard.
Curry has done enough to become an MVP favorite except for one person...
1. Durant, Nets
This season, the Nets have struggled to maintain the stability of the lineup, with Irving not playing, Joe Harris out of the lineup, and James Harden still looking for his own rhythm. This week, the Nets were hit by the epidemic again, and they became short of major generals. Despite this difficulty, Durant still led the team to four consecutive wins.
Durant averaged a league-high 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from three-point range.
He scored 51 points against the Pistons, surpassing Curry's 50 points and setting a new personal record for a single-game scoring score of the season. Two days later, he scored a 34-point triple-double to lead the Nets to victory with just eight active players, and then led the team to victory in today's game against the 76ers.
It's this stability that sets Durant apart this season, scoring more than 20 points in all games except one game, and he's scored more than 30 points in 13 games, which is also ahead of the league.
As far as this season goes, I think MVP will ultimately come down to the fight between Curry and Durant. But judging by recent game performances, Durant is temporarily a small step ahead of Curry.