Little time remains for those involved in this year's race for the NBA MVP award to stand out and add to their resume. All season, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have been the two frontrunners for the award. It truly seems like the award will go to one of those two players, as Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will firmly be in the top five for MVP voting. Plenty of other players deserve recognition in the NBA MVP rankings, one of which is New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson.
Right behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic, Brunson has had himself an MVP-like season in his second year with the Knickerbockers. From sixth man to starter to All-Star to now being on the verge of being called a superstar, Brunson's transformation through the years has been remarkable. He currently ranks fourth in scoring, trailing only Doncic, Antetokounmpo, and Gilgeous-Alexander, and Brunson recently put together one of the best performances we have seen from anyone this year.
Although the Knicks recently lost 130-126 in overtime against the San Antonio Spurs, Brunson registered a career-high 61 points on 25-of-47 shooting from the floor. Yes, you read all of that correctly. When you take 47 shots, you should be able to score 61 points, but the fact of the matter here is that Brunson continues to lead and carry the Knicks, given their injury situation.
Despite the loss, Jalen Brunson was absolutely DOMINANT against the Spurs š¤Æ
š„ 61 PTS (career-high)
š„ 4 REB
š„ 6 ASTš„ 25-of-47 FG
š„ 5-of-13 3PT
š„ 6-of-6 FT pic.twitter.com/AZaFSNpWZfā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 30, 2024
Brunson, who has also been dealing with bumps and bruises over the course of the year, has been available for all but a few games, and has the Knicks in a position where they can possibly dethrone the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference. While unlikely to occur, you just never know over the final few games of the regular season. Should this occur, the noise for Brunson's MVP campaign will only grow louder.
The race for the NBA MVP award continues to be tight as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 22 | Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2Ā | Week 1
1. Nikola Jokic ā Denver NuggetsĀ
Previous Rankings: #1
2023-24 season stats: 72 games, 26.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 57.9 FG%, 34.6 3P%
With Gilgeous-Alexander sitting out some games due to a quad contusion, Jokic made the most of his opportunities with the Nuggets. In four games last week, Jokic averaged 27.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor. The Denver Nuggets went 2-2, falling to the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves in consecutive games.
Although Jokic and the Nuggets still trail the Oklahoma City Thunder in the standings, the Serbian big man is the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA MVP award at this juncture. Between his triple-double and double-double performances, Jokic has been the most outstanding player in the league over the course of the entire season. He has also played in 72 of the Nuggets' 75 total games thus far, proving his durability versus other candidates on this list.
After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers by nearly 30 points this past Sunday, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gave his reasons as to why Jokic is the MVP yet again.
āIt speaks to why he's going to be a three-time MVP,ā Malone said regarding Jokic's 26-point, 18-rebound, and 16-assist triple-double. āIt speaks to his understanding that it's not just about Nikola. That's what I love about him probably more than anything is how selfless he is. It's not about him getting 26-18-16. He was so into the game tonight, so into the huddles, talking to guys and being vocal on the court. That shows you the investment, that shows you how much he cares about this team.ā
Unless he gets hurt, it seems like Jokic will be claiming his third MVP award over the last four seasons.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ā Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous Rankings: #2
2023-24 season stats: 71 games, 30.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 53.9 FG%, 36.5 3P%
Gilgeous-Alexander is very deserving of the NBA MVP award this season. Along with being one of the best scorers in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded at least 30 points in 50 of the 71 games he has played this season. The next closest player to him is Luka Doncic, with 47 such games.
Even with the Thunder at the top of the Western Conference standings right now, SGA missing two games this past week definitely impacted his case for MVP. The main reason for this is due to the timing of his missed games. Those who vote for the MVP award oftentimes look at the idea of āwhat have you done for me latelyā rather than the whole picture.
With Gilgeous-Alexander missing games and Jokic continuing to dominate, the Nuggets star's lead continues to grow. If Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can close out the season at the top of the West and the All-Star guard can put together more big-scoring performances, he will regain attention in this race.
3. Luka Doncic ā Dallas Mavericks
Previous Rankings: #4
2023-24 season stats: 65 games, 34.0 points, 9.8 assists, 9.1 rebounds, 48.9 FG%, 38.0 3P%
Doncic is on the rise in the NBA MVP rankings, and he could possibly surpass Gilgeous-Alexander for the No. 2 spot based on what happens over the final handful of games during the regular season. The Dallas Mavericks own the league's longest active win streak at seven games, and Doncic is, of course, at the forefront of their success.
Over the last 11 games he has played, the Mavs have posted a perfect 11-0 record. In this span, Doncic has averaged 31.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from three-point range. Doncic also has nine double-doubles and five triple-doubles over his last 11 games.
The Mavs superstar has won back-to-back Western Conference Player of the Week honors and has suddenly put the Mavs in a position where they could grab the 4-seed in the Western Conference. The case for Doncic being MVP is based on where the Mavs ultimately finish in the standings, as all of his numbers are synonymous with those of Jokic's. Eight games remain for Dallas, and Doncic could realistically move them further up the West standings.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo ā Milwaukee Bucks
Previous Rankings: #3
2023-24 season stats: 69 games, 30.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 61.4 FG%, 28.6 3P%
The Milwaukee Bucks going 6-5 over their last 11 games is not Giannis Antetokounmpo's fault whatsoever. Just this past week, the Bucks went 1-2 despite Antetokounmpo averaging 33.3 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. Right now, the Bucks have some major team problems to figure out, specifically in terms of their effort at times defensively.
Giannis has been a catalyst for their offense all season, and his scoring numbers have only increased as the season has progressed. After averaging 29.3 points per game while shooting 65.5 percent from the floor in February, Antetokounmpo averaged 31.8 points per game while shooting 60.3 percent from the floor in March.
While he may not always be available, Antetokounmpo has registered at least 30 points in eight of his last 11 games, including a 46-point performance to defeat the Chicago Bulls 113-97 on March 1. Winning another MVP award would cement Giannis' legacy even further, but at the end of the day, he only cares about winning in the postseason.
5. Jalen Brunson ā New York Knicks
Previous Rankings: #7
2023-24 season stats: 69 games, 27.9 points, 6.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 47.8 FG%, 40.0 3P%
The main reason Brunson has jumped the likes of Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards in the NBA MVP rankings is due to his impact on the Knicks as a whole. Last season, Brunson really elevated the Knicks from a play-in tournament threat to a team that had real aspirations to make a deep postseason run. Ultimately, they came up just short of defeating the Miami Heat in the playoffs.
In what has turned out to be the most productive season of his career, Brunson has taken the Knicks to a new level despite Julius Randle suffering what could be a shoulder injury he doesn't return from this year. When many teams lose an All-Star, they plummet in the standings, regardless of the other stars on their roster.
This has not been the case with Brunson and the Knicks, as he has made sure to keep New York in a position to contend for a title.
He is crafty, he is smart, and most of all, Brunson is a terrific leader for the Knicks. Leadership and accountability are two words that should be associated with the NBA's MVP award. These are two words that fit Brunson's persona perfectly.
Just missing the cut
6. Jayson Tatum ā Boston Celtics (Ranked No. 5 last week)
7. Anthony Edwards ā Minnesota Timberwolves (Ranked No. 6 last week)
8. Domantas Sabonis ā Sacramento Kings (Ranked No. 8 last week)
9. Kevin Durant ā Phoenix Suns (Ranked No. 9 last week)
10. Anthony Davis ā Los Angeles Lakers (Unranked last week)
Follow Us
Subscribe