On March 11, Beijing time, the NBA officially announced the 19th MVP list of the season. The top five of this week's chart have not changed in terms of personnel, but there have been slight changes in the rankings. Jokic reached the top for four consecutive weeks, with Alphabet Brother equalizing Embiid and the two tied for 2nd. Morant rose to 4th against DeRozan and DeRozan slipped to 5th. Durant returned to the MVP list for nomination. Here's a detailed report.
1. Jokic, Nuggets (ranked No. 1 last week)
Season average: 26.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game
Jokic had a 5-day, four-game Devils fixture last week, but he withstood the pressure and still showed great strength. He slashed 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks in the game against the Pelicans, scoring 30 points in the last quarter and 15 minutes of overtime to lead the team to a comeback. Against the Warriors, he again contributed a triple-double of 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists again; against the Kings, he delivered 38 points, 18 rebounds and 7 assists. Even in today's game against the Warriors, he still sent a quasi-triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists.
2. Embiid, 76ers (2nd last week)
Season average: 29.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.4 blocks
Embiid currently tops the scoring list and remains the dominant player in the penalty area. He scored 43 points and 14 rebounds against the Bulls to help the team secure the top 3 position in the East. He has led the team to a 2-2 record in the past week, and he has made a total of 58 free throws, and he has made 13 free throws in the first quarter of the game against the Nets, setting a player-wide penalty record this season.
Tied for 2nd place, Bucks (ranked 3rd last week)
Season average: 29.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.4 blocks
Alphabet brother led the team to a record of 4 wins in the past week, and the Bucks re-overtook the 76ers and Bulls under his leadership to reach the 2nd place in the East. Alphabet's on-field performance remains unassailable, scoring 39 and 43 points respectively in back-to-back games against the Thunder and Hawks, and is now averaging Embiid to the top of the table. He is expected to be the regular season MVP, the best defensive player and the three-time champion of the scoring king.
4. Morant, Grizzlies (ranked 5th last week)
Season average: 27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game
Morant led the Grizzlies to beat the Warriors on record and rose to No. 2 in the West, which was unimaginable to many before the start of the game. Morant, who has scored 20+ points in 21 consecutive games, is leaving his mark in the league. Keeping in mind that he is still under 23 years old, many media outlets have compared him to Rose in the 11-year MVP season.
5. DeRozan, Bull (ranked 4th last week)
Season average: 28.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game
After All-Star Weekend, the Bulls briefly hit a trough, losing five of their last six games. DeRozan once again showed his "king of the last quarter" in the game against the Pistons, scoring 16 of the 36 points in the game to lead the Bulls to stop the decline. DeRozan remains consistent in the mid-range, as he is the only player in the league to average more than 25 points per game but fewer than one three-pointer per game.
Ranked 6th to 10th: Tatum, Doncic, Curry, Booker, Paul
Nominees: Durant, Gobert, Harden, Mitchell, Downs
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)