As we hit the Christmas Day checkpoint in the NBA, Joel Embiid continues to sit at the very top of the NBA MVP rankings, and for good reason. Nobody imagined Embiid being able to top his previous week by averaging 38.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, but here we are talking about the Philadelphia 76ers reigning MVP averaging 40.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game this past week. Embiid continues to raise his level of dominance each game he plays in, resulting in the gap in this MVP race getting wider and wider.
At 35.0 points per game on the season, Embiid is inching closer to the 36 points per game mark only James Harden (2018-19), Michael Jordan (1993-94) and Wilt Chamberlain (five times) have ever crossed.
“I'm just pushing myself more, understanding that every possession matters,” Embiid said after scoring a season-high 51 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the best defensive team in the NBA. “It doesn't matter — I shouldn't have to wait until the playoffs. In the regular good season, obviously, with my body, sometimes doesn't allow you to do that. But just trying my best offensively, defensively. What I've been most excited about is the defensive end. I felt like I haven't really taken any plays off. I've been going as hard as possible and defensively, we've been doing pretty good. I think we're top five, so I'm happy about that.”
Embiid is the clear favorite to win the MVP award based on ESPN's first straw poll of the season and, once again, he finds himself in the No. 1 spot in the latest NBA MVP rankings. Unfortunately, we will not see Embiid on Christmas due to an ankle injury, and that will at least be something to monitor when it comes to this MVP race and the Sixers' place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers
Previous Rankings: #1
2023-24 season stats: 25 games, 35.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 54.0 FG%, 35.0 3P%
Over his last six games, Joel Embiid recorded a 40-point double-double four different times, including his recent 51-point game against Minnesota. You have to go all the way back to Nov. 17 against the Atlanta Hawks to find the last time Embiid failed to record a double-double. What's even crazier is that you have to go back to the Sixers' first game of the season to find Embiid's lowest scoring output of the 2023-24 season: 24 points.
Almost every single player around the league would be thrilled to record 24 points in a single game. For Embiid, that is his worst game of the season so far.
Scoring at least 30 points in 14 straight games, Embiid is currently the greatest offensive weapon in the NBA. Embiid has put the Sixers in a position to contend for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and his streak of 13 straight games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds is the longest such streak in the league since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so in 16 straight during the 1971-72 season.
Each week, we are having conversations about new records and milestones Embiid has passed because of his ridiculous offensive performances. This week is no different. Now let's just hope this ankle injury isn't too serious and he doesn't miss much time.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous Rankings: #2
2023-24 season stats: 28 games, 26.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 53.9 FG%, 32.0 3P%
If Joel Embiid was not scoring at the rate he was and flat-out destroying every defense he faces, Nikola Jokic would be the favorite for MVP. Jokic is scoring and rebounding at a higher rate than he was a season ago, plus he is nearly averaging a triple-double on the season.
However, December has not been the best month for the two-time MVP. Jokic has recorded just five double-doubles, including three triple-doubles, in 10 games this month. Through 18 games prior to December, Jokic recorded 17 double-doubles. The only game in which he failed to record a double-double was a game against the Detroit Pistons in which he was ejected for arguing with the officials.
When it comes to impacting his team's chances of winning, Jokic is right at the top of the league, if not No. 1 on this list. Denver's star makes everyone around him so much better because of his passing abilities and is the main reason why the Nuggets went on to win the 2023 NBA Finals. Even though Jokic and the Nuggets have struggled a little bit over their last few games, we definitely can't count him out of this MVP race just yet.
Jokic led last year's race for a while before Embiid swooped in and took the crown over the final several weeks of the season. Perhaps Jokic will do the same this season, especially since he tends to play better when the spotlight is not constantly shining on him.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Previous Rankings: #3
2023-24 season stats: 28 games, 30.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 60.4 FG%, 20.8 3P%
Just this past week, the San Antonio Spurs held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting, his fewest points scored in a game that he played at least 30 minutes in since Jan. 11, 2023 against the Atlanta Hawks. However, Giannis impacted this game against the Spurs with 14 rebounds and 16 assists, his second triple-double of the season. The Milwaukee Bucks have been on a roll lately and Antetokounmpo has been at the center of their success. A shocking statement, right?
It truly seems like Giannis is beginning to grow as a player alongside Damian Lillard, especially when it comes to making plays for everyone else. Of course he still has games like he did against the Indiana Pacers, scoring a career-high 64 points, but the two-time MVP just had a 28-point, seven-rebound, and seven-assist performance against the New York Knicks. The Bucks won this game by 19 points on the road with Antetokounmpo leaving his fingerprints all over this game.
This is the next step in Antetokounmpo's career. By involving everyone around him, Giannis will be able to prolong the peak of his career, a point in which we may not have seen from the 29-year-old just yet. The Bucks have lost just one game in the month of December. Antetokounmpo is the main reason for their overall success, hence his positioning right behind Embiid and Jokic in the NBA MVP rankings.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous Rankings: #4
2023-24 season stats: 25 games, 30.7 points, 6.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 53.4 FG%, 31.3 3P%
The thing about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is that he is one of those professional athletes you watch and just shake your head in disbelief because he makes everything look so effortless. Due to the fact that Shai is not a very outspoken or loud player, he tends to fly under the radar, as do the Oklahoma City Thunder as a whole.
Well, the Thunder are currently 18-8 on the season, right at the top of the Western Conference with the Timberwolves. It's crazy to think about how good Oklahoma City has been to begin the season, but then again, it shouldn't be too shocking to view Gilgeous-Alexander as a contender for the MVP award. The star guard showed flashes of his full potential last season and has only built off his All-NBA success from a year ago.
Aside from his 30 points per game scoring average, the biggest thing that stands out regarding Gilgeous-Alexander is how he has rapidly become one of the best on-ball defenders at the point guard position. Averaging a league-leading 2.8 steals per game, SGA will be an All-Star once again, he will be an All-NBA selection, and he has the Thunder in a position to contend for the No. 1 overall seed not just in the Western Conference, but the NBA as a whole. Should this happen, Gilgeous-Alexander deserves heavy consideration in the MVP race.
5. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves
Previous Rankings: Not ranked
2023-24 season stats: 24 games, 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 45.2 FG%, 37.9 3P%
The No. 5 spot in these rankings was tough to decide between. Ultimately, Anthony Edwards gets the nod this week not only due to the fact that the Timberwolves own the best record in the league, but also because Edwards has been looking stronger than ever after suffering a hip injury a few of weeks ago. Edwards scored at least 27 points in each of the last four games and is shooting 51.7 percent from the floor in this span. It's also worth mentioning he recorded at least seven rebounds and five assists in three straight games before Christmas.
Winning absolutely matters in the MVP race, and Edwards is the best player on the best team in the league. That has to matter for something in these rankings, hence why the Timberwolves' young star finds himself listed above the likes of Luka Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton.
Regarding the MVP race as a whole, all three players remain well behind Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis, as this year's award will undoubtedly be going to one of those three superstar big men.
Just missing the cut
6. Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks (Ranked No. 5 last week)
7. Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana Pacers
8. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
9. Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers
10. LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
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