We are not even halfway through the NBA season, and already the MVP race is one of the toughest in history. With four players averaging over 30 points and 18 averaging over 25 points per game, it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top.
Out of all the players on this list, there are only international players. One player is from Canada, one is from Africa, and the rest are from Europe. So, keep reading to find out who we have ranked the NBA’s top candidates for the 2023-24 KIA MVP award!
THE LIST
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Season Stats: 31.5 PPG, 2.4 SPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.4 APG, 54.7 FG%, 0.7 BPG
Shai has been exciting this season, averaging career highs in points, assists, and rebounds and leading his team to the playoffs, which is what it seems so far averaging 31.5 PPG, fourth in the league, and leads the league in steals with 2.4 per game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 but was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. After spending a year with the Clippers, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for NBA superstar Paul George. This trade has proven to be beneficial for both teams as they are now on their way to making it to the playoffs. SGA’s Thunder team is currently ranked third in the Western Conference, while the Clippers, who were once out of the playoff picture, are now climbing the rankings and are currently ranked fifth.
Shai has experienced a drop of over 30 points in three consecutive games this season. On January 3rd, he scored 1/3 points against Boston, leading his team to victory. However, on January 4th, he scored 33 points, along with 13 rebounds and 8 assists, but lost the game to Atlanta. On January 6th, he scored 34 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and made 6 assists against Brooklyn. He also scored 2-5 3-pointers and maintained a field goal percentage of 57.9%.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a player of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has had a great season so far. He has scored more than 40 points in five games, with his highest being 43 points in two different matches; one against Cleveland in an in-season tournament where he also achieved 6 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block, and the second against Sacramento Kings. In the latter game, Shai scored all 16 points in the second half, but unfortunately, the Kings won 128-123, with De’Aaron Fox scoring 41 points.
Shai is second in the league in win shares with 7.2 and in offensive win shares with 5.2, with only Nikola Jokic ahead of him. He is also sixth in the league in defensive win shares, with two.
In addition, Shai has had a total of 4 double-doubles. He is tied for first in the league with Luka Doncic, with both players scoring over 30 points in 25 games this season.
Despite his impressive performance, Shai is placed fifth on the list because the other four players ranked higher are big men and have better defensive and rebounding stats, which make their overall performance better. Nonetheless, Shai has had the best season of his career so far, and the season isn’t even halfway through yet.
4. Luka Doncic
Season Stats: 33.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 9.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 48.7 FG%, 0.6 BPG
We all knew that Luka Doncic, the Slovenian basketball player, would make it to this list. He has been consistently delivering impressive performances, setting records and milestones in almost every game he plays. For instance, during a Christmas game, he tied for the third-most points with 50 and the most 3-pointers made with 8.
He became the fastest player to score 10,000 career points since Michael Jordan, achieving this milestone in only 358 games, which is the seventh m scoring in NBA history. He also became the Dallas Mavericks’ all-time leading scorer with 35+ points in a game with 79 games, surpassing Dirk Nowitzki’s record.
Currently, Luka ranks second in the league for points per game, tied for third in assists per game with 9.2, second in three-pointers made with 133, following Steph Curry, who has 155. He also leads the league in total points with 1111. However, he also has the most missed field goal attempts with 400 and the most attempted field goals with 779.
He is tied for fifteenth in total minutes played with 1215 and ranks fourth in minutes per game. He ranks fourth in assist percentage with 42.8%, trailing Haliburton, Jokic, and Ice Trae. Luka is tied with SGA for the most 30-point games this season with twenty-five games with thirty or more points. His win shares are 5.2, which is good enough for seventh in the league and sixth in offensive win shares with 3.7.
Luka is undoubtedly a remarkable basketball player and one of the best in the world, and he is only 25 years old. Despite his impressive skills and achievements, he has to settle for fourth on this list because he is a lower seed than the other players.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Season Stats: 31.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 61% FG, 5.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.3 SPG
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been an outstanding player in the current NBA season, having achieved 22 games with 30 or more points. He ranks third in the league, following Luka Doncic and SGA who have 25 such games. Considering his remarkable performance, it is highly likely that we will hear more about these young stars in the future.
Giannis has scored 30 or more points in 23 games this season, including a career-high 64 points in a franchise-record-setting performance against the Indiana Pacers. Furthermore, he has accomplished six games with forty or more points, including a back-to-back 40-point performance in the last two games. He achieved 48 points on 1/7 in a lost game against Houston and 44 points against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. In December alone, he scored 30 or more points 11 times.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Giannis has recorded 7 double-doubles in a row since a loss against New York on 12/26, with his most recent being a 48-point seventeen rebound performance in a loss against Houston, marking his 47th game with more than 40 points. He also has 3 triple-doubles this season, placing him fourth in the NBA, behind Doncic with 6, Sabonis with 8, and Nikola Jokic, who leads the league with 11 triple-doubles.
Giannis is also a defensive powerhouse, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. His season-high blocks were five in an overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on 12/1, with Vucevic leading the way with 29 points and 12 rebounds. He has achieved a season-high of 4 steals twice, the first against the Magic in a loss on December 11th and the most recent one against the Pacers in his historic performance, where he set his career-high and franchise record, tying for the 26th highest-scoring game in the regular season ever, all while being only 28 years old!
Giannis has had one of the best stat sheets of his career, and he deserves to be higher up on the list. However, we have placed him at number three on this list.
2. Joel embiid
Season Stats: 34.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 53.5 FG%
Joel Embiid has been having an exceptional season, despite missing some games due to a knee injury. In the games he has played, he has proven to be an offensive powerhouse, scoring an average of 35 points per game. In his last 16 played games, he has scored 30 points or more in all of them.
Joel Embiid, the star center of the Philadelphia 76ers, has had an impressive season so far. His highest-scoring game this season was against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he scored a whopping 51 points. This is the third-highest single-game score this season, surpassed only by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 54-point game and Giannis’s historical 64-point game, which is also the Milwaukee Bucks franchise record.
Embiid has been consistently scoring this season, having scored 30+ points a remarkable 22 times. This ties him for 3rd place with Giannis Antetokounmpo in terms of the number of 30+ point games this season. Joel Embiid is a force to be reckoned with on the court and is one of the top players in the league right now.
Embiid has also shown his dominance on the court by having 12 games with 35+ points, which is tied for second place with Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has also had 6 games with 40+ points, which is tied for 2nd place with The Greek Freak, and 2 games with 50+ points, which is tied for 1st place with Giannis Antetokounmpo. His season-high scoring game was when he scored 51 points in a win against Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves.
Apart from his impressive scoring abilities, Joel Embiid has also been a beast on the boards. He has pulled down at least 10 rebounds per game, making him 6th in the league with 23 games of 10+ rebounds. During the in-season tournament, he has had 4 games with 15+ rebounds, with his season-high being 16 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on November 11th. Also during the in-season tournament, he has had 4 games with 15+ rebounds, with his season-high being 16 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on November 11th.
Embiid has been leading the league in several categories this season. He currently has the highest points per game average and Player Efficiency Rating, with 34.1 and 38.1% respectively. He is 6th in the league in total points with 935, tied for 12th in total rebounds with 318, and tied for 5th place with Nikola Jokic for rebounds per game. Furthermore, he is 13th in the league for defensive rebounds with 245 and tied for fifth place among the triple-double leaders with LeBron James with 2 a piece.
Even though Joel has been dominant this season so far, a scoring machine, an incredible defender, and one of the best rebounders, he still can’t top the player that we have chosen to place at our number one spot.
1. Nikola Jokic
Season stats: 25.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG,9.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 56. FG%
Nikola Jokic is a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. With his exceptional skills on the court, he has become what many consider to be the best player in the league. Standing at 7ft tall, this Serbian sensation has a unique style of play that leaves his opponents in awe. He can make step-back spinning 3-pointers and behind-the-back dimes to half-court game-winners, which are just a few of the many incredible moves he possesses. As his stat lines show, he is a true all-rounder.
Currently, Nikola Jokic is leading the league in triple-doubles with 11, a remarkable feat, while the second-placed player, Domatis Sabonis, only has 8. Additionally, he is leading the league in offensive win shares with 5.2 and win shares per 48 minutes with 30.3%. His win shares with 7.8 are also impressive, and his team, the Denver Nuggets, is currently ranked 3rd in the Western Conference with a 26-12 record.
Moreover, Nikola Jokic is also leading the league in defensive rebounds with 332. He is showing a remarkable performance in box plus/minus, where he leads the league with 13.9. In addition, he leads in the offensive box plus/minus with 9.6 and the defensive box plus/minus with 4.3. His exceptional skills and impressive performance this season are undoubtedly making him a strong contender for the league’s most valuable player.
Overall, Nikola Jokic’s performance this season has been nothing short of sensational. Even halfway through the list of where he leads or is close to leading the league, it is clear that he is an exceptional player who deserves to be recognized for his talent and hard work.
Nikola Jokic has been making waves in the NBA this season with his exceptional performance on the court. As per the latest stats, Jokic leads the league in value over replacement player, with a score of 5, which is 1.4 higher than the second-best player, SGA, who has a score of 3.6.
Besides this, Jokic has been putting up some impressive numbers in various categories. He is currently ranked 4th in the league in total scored points, having scored 912 points so far this season. He is also 15th in the league in points per game, with an average of 25.5.
Moreover, Jokic has been dominating the rebounds category too. He is currently 2nd in the league in total rebounds with 437, trailing only Sabonis. He is also ranked 4th in rebounds per game, with an average of 11.8.
Jokic’s contribution to the defensive end of the game is also not to be ignored. He is tied for 18th in the league for steals at 44, which is a commendable feat.
When it comes to field goals, Jokic is ranked 4th in the league with 366 field goals and 3rd in the league for 2pt field goals with 327. He is also ranked 17th in free throws with 171, tied with Jimmy Butler.
Jokic’s hard work and dedication are evident from the fact that he is ranked 13th in minutes played with 1235 total minutes. He also has the 2nd highest player efficiency rating with 31.3, trailing only Joel Embiid.
Overall, Jokic’s performance this season has been nothing short of spectacular, and he is well on his way to winning his 3rd MVP before the age of 30.
Our Pick for MVP: Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is a colossal athlete, towering at almost 7 feet tall. He is an all-around basketball player with exceptional skills in every major category of the game. His shooting ability is remarkable, he has a field goal percentage of 57%, which is impressive for a big man. Not only that, he is also comfortable shooting from beyond the arc and has a great mid-range and paint game.
On the defensive end, Jokic is a reliable force, averaging nearly one block and one steal per game. He is an exceptional rebounder as well, pulling down an average of 11.8 rebounds per game.
But Jokic’s impact on the game is not just limited to scoring and defense, he is also a great playmaker. His passing ability is through the roof, averaging 9.2 assists per game. He is a master at finding his teammates for wide-open corner threes or a soaring two-hand slam.
In summary, Nikola Jokic is a Serbian beast who can do it all on the basketball court, and has our vote so far for the 2023-24 KIA MVP Michael Jordan award!
all facts are used by the following websites
https://www.basketball-reference.com/ https://www.nba.com/ https://www.espn.com/ https://www.statmuse.com/
rights reserved all facts and figures are from these websites, I do not take any credit for any of this information just writing about it, all these websites have and still are making all this info, thank thanks fastest-time them to making this all possible
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