Another week of NBA basketball has passed us by. The season is shaping up to be quite the thrill ride. Say what you will about those questionably colorful courts, but the In-Season Tournament has yielded quality basketball and a genuine sense of stakes.
The standings are a proper mess, with new contenders emerging and old powerhouses fading. The Golden State Warriors appear less than solid. Father Time has arrived in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, on balance, appear to be the best teams in the West. Especially with the Denver Nuggets still banged up. Wild times.
In the East, the Boston Celtics remain comfortable frontrunners, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers in relatively close pursuit. Less shocking, but wait — the Orlando Magic are 13-5, in second place and only a game behind Boston (with a head-to-head victory). That was not expected.
The intrigue around this season is palpable. Here's how the MVP race is shaping up.
NBA MVP power rankings: Week 5
Honorable mentions: De'Aaron Fox, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Brunson
What a season for LeBron James, his 21st in the NBA. He's dominating in an entirely new way, sacrificing volume to dominate with efficiency and connectivity. The Lakers are on shaky ground as far as contenders go, but James is averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on .559/.396/.704 splits.
The Warriors are fading fast. There have been injuries galore, while Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Chris Paul have all performed below expectations. Stephen Curry is innocent, however, averaging 29.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on .481/.431/.930 splits. He's an all-time great playing at the peak of his powers. Hopefully the team around him shapes up eventually.
Jayson Tatum is the best player on the best team, which is frankly the strongest argument in his favor. He hasn't been especially dominant by his (extremely high) standards, but he's an elite two-way force and the engine driving Boston's offensive success. He remains a preternaturally gifted shot-maker, averaging 27.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on .494/.361/.807 splits while supplying high-level defense on the wing.
The Bucks are 13-6 despite a noticeable coaching deficiency most nights. Adrian Griffin is plainly misutilizing the many tools at his disposal, but talent often wins out in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging the highest field goal percentage of his career (.601) and averaging 29.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as Milwaukee's two-way anchor. As the chemistry with Damian Lillard improves, so will the Bucks. Especially if Griffin gets more comfortable with his personnel.
Kevin Durant kept the Suns' heads above water during Devin Booker's extended absence. Now, Booker is back in the mix and the Suns look like proper juggernaunts on the offensive end. There's a chance Durant and Booker will end up splitting hypothetical votes as the season progresses, but Durant holds the games played advantage and he's on track for a career-defining campaign at 35 years old. He is averaging 31.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on .518/.493/.896 splits.
Limited team success for the 9-8 Indiana Pacers may eventually catch up to Tyrese Haliburton, but he is leading the charge for the NBA's best offense. He is a full-throttle superstar at this point. He's virtually unstoppable, draining 3s at a historically proficient rate, patiently picking apart defenses out of pick-and-rolls, and scoring efficiently inside the arc.
Haliburton has been the best nominal point guard in the NBA, depending on how you categorize a couple of the upcoming candidates. He is averaging 27.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 11.8 assists on .519/.447/.880 splits. In his last five games, Haliburton has a 44-point and 10-assist night, a 33-point and 16-assist night, and a 37-point and 16-assist night. He is must-watch television, with pull-up shooting numbers reminiscent of prime Stephen Curry.
Haliburton does not always carry his weight defensively, and the Pacers are the NBA's 29th-ranked defense — thus the mediocre record despite the No. 1-ranked offense. It's hardly Haliburton's fault that the Pacers are so exploitable on that end, but he will eventually have to compete with several two-way anchors when voters cast their ballots. Haliburton has quick hands and sharp instincts (1.1 steals per game), but he's vulnerable in isolation and frequently a victim of the standard star point guard conservation effort on that end of the floor.
Still, the brilliance of Haliburton on offense right now is impossible to overlook. He's one of the game's truly great table-setters, reading the floor several steps in advance and consistently passing teammates open. To combine Haliburton's passing acumen with a game-breaking 3-point stroke is borderline unfair.
Luka Doncic is averaging the lowest usage rate since his rookie season (34.9) for the Dallas Mavericks, who have done a complete 180 from last season's depressing tank job to run out to an 11-6 record. Credit where it's due — Dereck Lively has been a revelation, Grant Williams and Derrick Jones Jr. were impactful additions on the wing, and Kyrie Irving looks extremely comfortable. But, Doncic remains the ringleader.
For the season, Doncic is averaging 31.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.9 assists on .489/.388/.773 splits. His 3-point volume and efficiency have never been higher. He's buying in to the right shot diet, stretching defenses thin with his patented step-back before picking them apart with frequent forays to the rim. There still isn't a better NBA player when it comes to mixing speeds and deploying strength on finishes at the rim. Doncic isn't your standard explosive NBA athlete, but few athletes exhibit better body control, a greater dominion over their direction and speed.
In the Mavs' impressive IST win over the Houston Rockets on Nov. 28, Doncic poured in 41 points, nine boards, and nine assists on 51.7 percent shooting. Just the latest in a string of classic, all-around dominant performances from the 24-year-old. He doesn't contribute much on defense, but the offensive output is as strong as ever in a slightly more balanced role.
So long as the Mavs continue at their current pace, it will be difficult to omit Doncic from the MVP conversation. He carries such a significant burden every night and he's producing with great efficiency despite his proclivity for high-difficulty shot attempts.
It's impossible to deny Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stature as a legitimate contender in this awards race. OKC is 12-6, currently third in the West. Gilgeous-Alexander has plenty of help, from the burgeoning two-way stardom of Chet Holmgren, to the dynamic connective tissue provided by Jalen Williams. But it is SGA who leads the NBA in drives per game. It is SGA who is averaging a career high in usage rate (33.1) and a career low in turnover percentage (8.3).
On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on .541/.350/.945 splits. His 3-point volume is up compared to last season and he's hitting enough to keep the defense honest. Inside the arc, there isn't a more potent guard scorer in the association. Gilgeous-Alexander can't match Doncic's unique strength, but he's 6-foot-6 with unreal balance and dexterity. SGA can change directions on a dime and freeze defenders with expertly timed gear shifts. He can get to his pull-up from anywhere and he's a top-tier rim finisher for his position.
Gilgeous-Alexander has helpfully strung together four straight games with 30+ points, all while playing elite defense. He's leading the NBA in steals per game (2.3) while also breaking into the block category on a regular basis (0.9). Blessed with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, SGA is a handful at the point of attack and a constant threat as a roamer. He's an invasive presence in passing lanes, perfectly optimized in an OKC lineup littered with quality on-ball defenders and an elite rim protector, which allows SGA to maximize his activity level and risk-taking.
It's not common for guards to produce at SGA's level on both ends of the floor. He is a legitimate DPOY candidate, or at the very least All-Defense. OKC is the only NBA team with a top-five offense and a top-five defense right now. SGA is integral to both. How can he not get votes?
The 76ers are 12-6 with the NBA's No. 2-ranked offense. Joel Embiid and company managed the head-to-head victory over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC on Nov. 25, which was promptly followed up with a 44-point walloping of the Lakers two days later. Per usual, Embiid has been the primary engine driving Philadelphia's success on both ends.
Maybe one day we will escape the big man battle atop the MVP race, but not yet. Embiid's case is as strong as ever. He's leading the NBA in scoring (again), averaging 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on .498/.315/.878 splits. The shooting efficiency is down a smidge, but he's still a free throw machine who compromises the defense with every touch.
Embiid was particularly impressive in the Sixers' shellacking of LA, posting his first triple-double of the season with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in 31 minutes of action. The assist category is the real standout. Embiid is on track for a career high in that department, and it's not a fleeting phase. He has tapped into newfound territory as a facilitator, reading double teams effectively and locating cutters in Nick Nurse's motion offense.
For years, the primary knock on Embiid has been limitations as a passer. He's not Nikola Jokic all of a sudden, but he's operating as a legitimate and effective playmaking hub for teammates. The Sixers can trust Embiid to man the elbow, survey the court, and consistently make the right play — all while supplying his typically gaudy scoring numbers and operating as an elite rim protector.
And here we are, back where we started. Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the NBA, often captaining the beaten-up Denver Nuggets through choppy waters to deliver victorious results. Denver is 13-6, second in the West despite Jamal Murray's extended absence. Jokic has been the sun around which the Nuggets orbit, as expected. He's averaging 29.0 points (a career high), 13.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists on .571/.316/.800 splits.
There's a danger that voters become immune to the true insanity of Jokic's production on a nightly basis, but Denver's title run seems to have settled Jokic as the consensus No. 1 in the world. His shooting numbers are hovering slightly below average, but he still leads the NBA in a large swathe of advanced categories — first in offensive win shares (3.1), total win shares (4.1), win shares per 48 (.326), offensive box plus-minus (11.2), defensive box plus-minus (4.2), and VORP (2.7).
Pretty much a clean sweep.
Jokic is tracking for career-best marks in several categories, and there's a strong chance the field goal and 3-point percentages improve in the near future. Perhaps once Murray returns and restores the standard equilibrium to Denver's offense. Jokic also gets extra points for keeping the Nuggets on a contending pace absent his second-best player. It hasn't always been pretty, but Denver has proven capable of winning ugly.
In their Nov. 29 victory over the Rockets, Jokic ripped off 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists on 63.2 percent shooting. A strong statement against burgeoning All-Star Alperen Sengun, and a key victory over a quality opponent. Jokic has four straight games with 30+ points, all of which include double-digit rebounds and at least eight assists.
He's still the MVP frontrunner.
