NBA MVP Ladder: Nov. 30

Here are the top five candidates for the MVP award as we approach December and the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament

All stats and records are accurate up to games played on Wednesday, November 29th

5. Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers

The breakout year after the initial breakout year has put Haliburton in full-fledged superstar territory. Haliburton had a signature game in the Pacers matchup against the Hawks in the In-Season Tournament. He dropped 37 points, 16 assists and added nine threes, including a 28-point third quarter as the Pacers went on to win 157-152. The Pacers are still a rebuilding team, but Haliburton becoming one of the premiere floor generals of the league has expedited the timeline as shown by the winning record they currently have.

4. Jayson Tatum, SF/PF, Boston Celtics

Tatum’s statistics have had a bit of a drop-off as the season has gone on, and are not as prolific as other MVP competitors. However, the Celtics are 14-4 and occupy the top seed in the East in large part to Tatum’s 28 points per game. The main thing hurting Tatum’s candidacy is how good he was last year. A player typically wins MVP awards in the best seasons of their careers. As mentioned in the preseason MVP predictions, Tatum will not have the ball in his hands as much as he had last year due to the offseason additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. His statistics reflect that and have not been as eye-popping this year, but Tatum is content to sacrifice individual accolades at this stage of his career in search of rings.

3. Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks

Like Tatum, Doncic’s stats have also dropped as the season has gone on. Despite the dropoff, 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game for a Mavericks squad currently third in the West after missing the postseason last year is a resume worthy of MVP contention. His latest performance was a 41-point masterpiece in the Mavericks win over the Rockets, showing he can take the game over and score at an elite level when needed.

2. Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

There was early debate on whether Sixers teammate Tyrese Maxey is or should be the offensive focal point, but Embiid has reclaimed that title and been dominant in doing so. Embiid is leading the league with 32 points per game to go along with 11 rebounds and 6.6 assists. The assist number is by far a career-high for Embiid, whose previous career-high was 4.2. The improvement Embiid has shown in the playmaking aspect of his game is noticeable and makes an already unguardable player even more difficult to contain. The Sixers have cooled off, currently sitting at 12-6 after starting 8-1, but Embiid is certainly not to blame for the mini-slump.

1. Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

The two-time MVP is in the midst of the best season of his career and would be the clear favorite to take home his third if the season ended today. Jokic is setting a career-high in points per game with 29 to go along with 13 rebounds and nine assists. He has scored 38, 39 and 32 points in his most recent games, and chipped in 15 assists on the night when he could only muster 32 points. What a letdown. The most impressive thing about Jokic is that we do not even blink when he has 15 assists in a game. That is an elite point guard statistic that he is doing as a seven-footer. He has made unprecedented assist numbers appear almost expected. The best playmaking big man the game has ever seen has thrived amid an injury bug for the Nuggets, and the thought of him improving when Jamal Murray and co. are healthy should terrify the league.

Honorable Mentions

Kevin Durant, SF, Phoenix Suns

Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.