'22 NBA MVP Race: Who is the dark horse to win?
With under a month left in the ‘21-22 NBA season, the NBA MVP race is nearing its end but there is no clear winner in sight.
This year’s MVP race has been fluid, changing every night practically.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic and 76ers C Joel Embiid (Photo per/NBA)
At the beginning of the season, Warriors G Steph Curry seemed like a lock for the race as well as Nets F Kevin Durant, but both have tailed off in the rankings due to performance and health respectively. Bulls G DeMar DeRozan went on a scorch earth tear, making history as he did it, taking the Bulls from a team last year that was outside looking in the playoff picture to now being a viable contender if they can get healthy. But even he has tailed off from his hot streak and so has the team. Grizzlies G Ja Morant had an incredible buzz around All-Star Weekend and though he and the team have still been performing, a top team in the Western Conference, the buzz is just not the same. Really it is just, who is hot now.
Now the conversations have centered around big men Joel Embiid and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Each has their case to be granted the title. Embiid is leading the league in points at 29.8 PPG while also being a top Eastern Conference team. He ranks third in PER (31.37) and visually he has looked like the most imposing player in the league. Even Durant called Embiid the MVP this season, saying to reporters, “If I had to take a guess, I would go between Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, and Ja Morant for me. Those are my top three, and I’d probably go Joel.”
Jokic on the other hand is killing you with his crafty bag of tricks, from his footwork down low to his full-court on the money passes. And his counting stats are looking healthy too, averaging 26.1 PPG (9th in NBA), 13.6 RPG (2nd in NBA), and 8 APG (7th in NBA).
So who will be the MVP this season?
My guess is none of the names above and rather two dark horses who have come alive in the past couple of months consistently for their teams. That is Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
Mavericks F Luka Doncic attempting to guard Celtics' F Jayson Tatum on a drive (Photo per/GettyImages)
The Mavs guard has been amazing since the break. Per Statmuse, he is averaging shy under 31 PPG since All-Star Weekend and has been guiding the Mavs up the West rankings now only 4 games back from the third spot held by the Warriors. He had two big wins in primetime matchups against the Celtics and Nets during his latest East road trip. He currently averages 28.1 PPG, (4th in NBA), 9.2 RPB, and 8.5 APG (5th in NBA) on the season and is looking to make a playoff run in a now wide-open West.
Tatum, on the other hand, has reached elite NBA status, becoming an All-Star starter this season (replacing KD but arguably he’d deserved the spot anyways) and in my books a top-10 player in the game. His skillset has come together in this re-vamped Celtics roster with improved playmaking and shot taking. Since the break, he has averaged 32.3 PPG and dropped 54 and 44 points in consecutive games. His improvement on both sides of the ball is a big reason for the Celtics' 21-4 record in the past 25 games. He certainly is the flavor of the month along with Doncic.
NBA voters will have a tough time deciding this race but with the Sixers and Nuggets both seemingly slipping as of late, Tatum and Doncic can stack up wins along with their great performances and force their way into the conversation, if not win.
