The NBA play-offs are now in full swing, with 16 teams battling away for a chance at hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. But, in the background, and while teams duel it out in play-off matchups, votes are still being cast and tabulated for the most important of the NBA regular season awards: the Most Valuable Player award.
This year, three players were made finalists for the award, given to the most impactful and important player in the league. They are the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Denver Nugget’s Nikola Jokic, and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. With the announcement of the winner expected to come at some point during the 2nd round of the playoffs, fans and bettors are still debating who deserves the award. Here’s the case for all three of the finalists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai is the obvious candidate for MVP. He’s the current MVP holder, along with the NBA Championship and the Finals MVP, and he’s arguably been even better this year. Shai has been ruthlessly efficient this year, shooting 55% from the field as the first option with high volume. He’s been reliable in the clutch, and great on defense, using his length to become one of the best blocking guards in the league.
He also broke the all-time record for consecutive 20-point games, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain, a record untouched for decades. His season was historic in many ways, and it still seems like he is the man to beat for the MVP award. Bookmakers certainly think so, as Shai remains the bettor’s favourite for the award, and you can use the Borgata promo code here to bet on the MVP award or the NBA playoffs.
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanayama is ready and waiting to crash Shai’s party. The scorecard may not favour Wembanyama like it does for Shai, but he’s arguably the single most impactful player in the league. He’s also just one the first ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award. Wembanyama’s impact in defense is almost unheard of; he bends offenses around him, with world class scorers avoiding contesting with him due to his 7’6” height.
Wembanyama is comfortably the best defensive player in the league. Given he stays fit, he’s basically guaranteed the next 10 DPOY awards. His offense is also not to be ignored, averaging 25 points a game on solid efficiency. He’s still developing as a player, and even if he doesn’t win it this year, he’s put the whole league on notice.
Nikola Jokic
It seems harsh to Nikola Jokic that he is the third most likely to win the MVP award. Jokic is continuing to produce offense at an unprecedented level. He’s only the third player ever to average a triple-double across a season, and he’s done it for the third time. He’s also incredibly efficient, averaging 56% from the field.
His team, the Denver Nuggets, also struggle deeply in the minutes when he sits, or during the portion of the season when he was injured, proving how valuable he is to his team. The factor working against him is he is already a 3-time MVP winner, but he’s put in another season that is worthy of winning him a 4th.