THE NBA season has been off to a blazing start. Teams have been going at each other, with favorites falling to underdogs and unsuspecting teams rising early in the conference standings.
It is also how the current NBA MVP Race is shaping up. In this column, we look into the current Top 5 players for the NBA MVP for this season:
5. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat (Stats: 24.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 5.5 APG)
4. Demar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls (Stats: 26.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG)
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (Stats: 26.4 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 6.4 APG)
2. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (Stats: 28.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.9 APG)
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (Stats:29.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 6.5 APG)
(Stats and rankings c/o nba.com)
Jimmy Butler has been very steady for the Heat this season. He is the focal point of the Heat attack and defense. He looks like the Jimmy Butler of the 2019 NBA Finals in his recent outings, which featured a triple-double against the Pelicans.
Demar DeRozan is having a blast in Chicago. His veteran savvy is a very great compliment to the youth of the Bulls. His back-to-back dominance in LA, besting the Clippers and Lakers in their back-to-back, has solidified his numbers and ranking for the early MVP race.
Nikola Jokic, reigning MVP, is still groping for his MVP form, but his recent performances are already signs of how he won MVP last season. While he is regaining his MVP form and numbers, the current losses are not helping in his case for a chance at a back-to-back MVP trophy.
KD himself can only top Kevin Durant. While getting good stat lines, the blow-out loss to GSW and going 0-8 in the third of that game doesn’t do much for him to take the top spot in the MVP race. While he is doing his best carrying the nets sans Kyrie, KD needs to dominate consistently to be MVP-worthy.
Stephen Curry has been the heart and soul of the Warriors, always was and always will be. This generation of basketball fans will be adorning his basketball greatness the way previous generations adored MJ, Kobe, and Lebron. He is not only the face of the Warriors, but he is also the current face of the NBA.
They are regaining what he lost when the Warriors faced uncertainty when KD left, and Klay is still nursing his injury. With Curry’s hot shooting and the Warriors playing great basketball, it is not surprising that the player and team are on top of the NBA standings right now.