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0 The recent injury of Joel Embiid has shaken up the Top 5 chase for the NBA MVP award. A new top five of the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder has emerged, with Joel Embiid effectively out of the race for the award due to his recent injury. Embiid underwent a meniscus procedure on his left knee, which means that he will be out of action for at least the next four weeks.
With this development, the seven-time All-Star has played only 34 games this season, which is not enough to meet the NBA’s 65-game minimum requirement to earn postseason awards. It’s unfortunate because Embiid would have been leading the NBA in scoring with an impressive 35.3 points per game. Furthermore, he was on track to become only the second player in NBA history to average at least one point per minute played, behind Wilt Chamberlain in the 1961-62 season.
Embiid’s absence from the MVP race has opened the door for a new entry into the top five. Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has joined the top five and has been instrumental in his team’s recent winning streak. Doncic has been a catalyst for his team, and his performance has led the Mavericks to win three games in a row for the first time since early January.
One interesting stat to note about Doncic is that he needed only eight rebounds to pass Erick Dampier for seventh place on Dallas’s all-time rebounding list. He achieved this feat in a recent game against the New York Knicks, where he grabbed eight rebounds in a 122-108 win. It’s likely that the 24-year-old will pass Michael Finley for fifth place on the Mavericks’ all-time list this season.
This week’s top five in the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder is as follows:
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Nikola Jokic retains his position as the top player on the list, and his recent performance has been impressive. He helped the Nuggets secure their eighth win in ten outings against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder is in second place, and he recently scored 28 points in a game against Utah. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is in third place, and he recently suffered a loss against Minnesota. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is in fourth place, and he recently scored 39 points against the New York Knicks. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics rounds out the top five, and he helped his team win four out of six games in a recent seven-game run.
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