This season has featured a very interesting race for the NBA‘s regular season MVP award.
Experts have seemed divided on whether Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, or the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid deserves the award most.
All three have been named as the finalists for the MVP trophy, and the reasoning for each player seems interesting.
The 2022-23 #KiaMVP Finalists.#NBAAwards https://t.co/zkHjnWFBoA pic.twitter.com/zqlRWz3Lwu
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2023
Jokic has won the award in each of the last two seasons, and he may have put together his best regular season yet by averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting a remarkable 63.2 percent from the field.
His Nuggets claimed the top seed in the Western Conference with a 53-29 record, and they may have the best shot ever at winning their first-ever NBA championship.
Antetokounmpo is considered by many to be the game’s finest all-around player, and he helped guide Milwaukee to a league-high 58 wins in the regular season, even though Khris Middleton, arguably their second-best player, appeared in just 33 games due to injury.
The Greek native put up 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, and his backers feel he’s a better candidate than Jokic because he is a better and more versatile defender.
But there has been a growing feeling lately that Embiid is poised to win the MVP, partly because of “voter fatigue” after both Jokic and Antetokounmpo have already won it twice.
The 76ers’ center led the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game, and over the last couple of seasons, he has become the best version of himself.
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