NBA MVP Poll: Jokic favorite to repeat?

Last season, Nikola Jockic of the Denver Nuggets outplayed the big man of the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embidin the closing weeks of the NBA regular season to win the Most Valuable Player award, as injuries to Embiid and Los Angeles Lakers forward, Lebron Jamescleared the way for Jokic to become the first center to win the award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

As the 2021-22 regular season winds down, it looks like Jokic has the lead in the race to repeat the accolade.

After Jokic finished just behind Embiid in the previous edition of the survey in mid-Februarythe four-time All-Star got 62 of 100 first-place votes in the third and final poll for ESPN’s MVP, giving Jokic a clear, albeit narrow, lead over Embiid and the Milwaukee power forward. bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpothe last player to win consecutive MVP awards.

To assess where the race stands with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, ESPN asked 100 members of the media to participate in an informal poll that mimics voting for postseason awards. To make the vote as realistic as possible, there were at least two voters from each of the league’s 28 markets, as well as a cross-section of national and international reporters. The votes were collected from Thursday to Saturday.

As with the official NBA vote at the end of the season, voters were asked to submit a five-player ballot, and the results were tabulated using the league’s scoring system: 10 points for each first-place vote. , followed by seven points for second place, five points for third, three points for fourth and one point for fifth.

Jokic finished ahead of the pack with those 62 first-place votes and a total of 860 points, followed by Embiid, who got 29 first-place votes and 719 total points, and Antetokounmpo, who got nine first-place votes and 593 points. total. They were the only players to be named on all 100 ballots and the only ones to receive a first-place vote.

Jokic, Embiid and Antetokounmpo have separated themselves so clearly from the rest of the field that they claimed 291 of the 300 first-, second- and third-place votes in the poll (Antetokounmpo had six fourth-place votes and Jokic had three fifth-place votes). No other player was named on even half of the ballots.

After the three unanimous selections, the point guard of the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morantwho finished with 103 total points and received one of only two second-place votes on record for someone other than Jokic, Embiid or Antetokounmpo (the Phoenix Suns shooting guard, Devin Bookerreceived the other). The forward of the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatumwas fifth with 93 points, the shooting guard of the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncićwas sixth with 87 points and Booker seventh with 82. Morant, Tatum and Booker were the only players to receive third-place votes outside of the top three finishers.

After leading the first edition of the poll this season, the point guard of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curryfinished eighth with 34 points, followed by Brooklyn Nets forward, Kevin Durant (13) and the point guard of the Suns, Chris-Paul (seven).

James, the current NBA scoring leader who didn’t receive a single vote in either of the first two polls, earned a fourth-place and two-fifth votes to finish 11th with five points, followed by the Chicago Bulls shooting guard. DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks point guard, Bring Young.

Outside of James entering the picture, the focus remains on the top of the ballot, where Jokic once again held a slim lead heading into the final weeks of the season after he and Embiid were virtually even six weeks ago. .

Essentially, the difference this time is that Jokic took 16 of the first-place votes Embiid got in the previous poll and came back on the five ballots that knocked him out in that round of voting.

There is still more uncertainty in this race than there usually is at this time of year. Many voters highlighted how difficult it was for them to choose which way to go, both between the top three finishers as well as fourth and fifth place.

And while the leader in the final version of this opinion poll won the league’s MVP award in the past four years, there’s reason to believe Jokic still has some work to do to secure his second consecutive award.

This year’s vote more closely mirrors the 2017 race, the first year this opinion poll was conducted. In the final vote that year, then-Houston Rockets shooting guard, james hardenhad a similarly narrow lead over then-Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, Russell Westbrookwith a few weeks to go, only for Westbrook to capture the MVP by becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double in a season.

Due to how close the races are in both conferences, it’s likely that where Jokic and Embiid end up in the leaderboard play a role in choosing the MVP.

Jokic’s Nuggets sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves in seventh and a half game behind the Utah Jazz in fifth. The three voters who placed Jokic in fifth place highlighted their team’s position in the standings as a contributing factor.

In the Eastern Conference, Embiid’s 76ers and Antetokounmpo’s Bucks find themselves in a four-team cap near the top, both a game behind the No. 1-seeded Miami Heat.

Jokic is averaging 26.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game, ranking 12th, second and eighth, respectively, and is the only player in the top 12 in all three categories. Embiid is averaging 29.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists as he looks to become the first center to lead the NBA in scoring since O’Neal in 2000. Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

All three have excelled in the face of various challenges this season. Jokic has played practically the entire season without the other two stars on the team, jamal murray and Michael Porter Jr.. Embiid had to lead the 76ers through the rollercoaster ride that was the saga of Ben Simmonswhile Antetokounmpo has navigated Milwaukee through a series of injuries to key contributors, most notably center brooklyn lopez.

The uncertainty at the top of the ballot is likely to spill over to the rest of the roster as well: The Grizzlies announced Thursday that Morant will miss most of the final two weeks of the regular season with knee soreness.

Meanwhile, Tatum and Doncic have been two of the best players on two of the best teams in the league in recent months, while Booker has received a lot of support for how he has led the Suns with Paul sidelined for more than a year. month due to a thumb injury before his return late last week. All three could easily overtake Morant down the stretch.

Everything sets the table for a frenetic end to the regular season, with a lot to play for, both on a team and individual level.