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Follow Us![[MVP ladder] Celtics' Jayson Tatum on fire](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/THUMB-24_db072b.jpg?w=1200)
The race for the NBA's MVP award is one that goes on for countless weeks, with numerous players sitting at the top of the rankings. Over the last few seasons, it has been Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid battling for supremacy regarding this award. With the 2024-25 NBA season underway, the battle for the MVP award has begun in what may just be the most wide-open race in recent seasons. So far, Jayson Tatum has been the one to stand out among everyone else.
Last season saw the Boston Celtics claim their 18th championship in team history. While they were the favorites all season, outside noise continued to cloud Tatum's abilities to actually get the Celtics back to and possibly win the NBA Finals. Doubts about Tatum were prevalent during the 2023-24 season, yet all of that noise has been silenced since he led Boston to a championship. Now, the five-time All-Star has bigger aspirations in mind during the Celtics' title-defense season.
Although Tatum has started off the new 2024-25 season strong, so have others who oftentimes hear their name in the MVP conversation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the Oklahoma City Thunder at 3-0 to begin the new year, and Anthony Davis has also led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 3-0 record. Of course, Doncic and Jokic can't be counted out either, despite the struggles their respective teams have shown early on.
No American-born player has won the NBA MVP award since James Harden did so in 2018 while he was with the Houston Rockets. Since then, this award has been seized three times by Jokic, twice by Giannis Antetokounmpo, and once in 2023 by Embiid. Could Tatum finally be the one to break this streak, possibly becoming the first Celtics player to win the NBA's MVP award since Larry Bird in 1986?
Here is where the NBA MVP ladder and rankings stand one week into the 2024-25 season:
1. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
2024-25 season stats: 3 games, 33.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 54.7 FG%, 48.6 3P%
Between everyone doubting his abilities to win with the Celtics and being benched by Steve Kerr at the Olympics for Team USA, Tatum seems like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. Perhaps what stands out the most with Tatum's play through three games is his consistency on both ends of the court. Whereas last season he deferred to everyone else and was fine with the idea of not always being the leading scorer, Tatum is now taking on this mantle while still being an elite-level playmaker and facilitator for his teammates. While he may still have the mindset of just going out and winning games, it is clear to see that Tatum has a different demeanor this season.
Unlike previous years where Tatum looked passive at times on offense, he is looking to score every time he touches the ball so far this season. Not only has this translated to success at the rim, but it has also increased Tatum's three-point efficiency, as he is averaging close to 50 percent shooting from deep while averaging roughly 11 perimeter shot attempts per game. Joe Mazzulla wants the Celtics taking more threes, and Tatum is doing so at a ridiculous rate to begin the season. If he continues to average more than 30 points per game and Boston again finishes with the best record in the league, the 26-year-old will undoubtedly win the NBA MVP award.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
2024-25 season stats: 3 games, 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.0 steals, 2.0 blocks, 44.9 FG%, 30.4 3P%
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in the MVP voting behind Jokic after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference. With wins over Jokic's Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have started the year 3-0 with the second-best point differential in the Western Conference. Better yet, the 26-year-old point guard has increased his overall effectiveness outside of just scoring the ball.
It is early, and SGA can still get his average over 30.0 points per game for the third straight season, but what stands out about his numbers is the defensive impact, especially when it comes to aiding Chet Holmgren on the glass. Through three games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 8.7 rebounds, which ranks second for non-frontcourt players behind only Doncic (10.0). As far as on-ball defense goes, Shai has proven to be a menace due to his height and hand quickness. From disrupting passing lanes to contesting shots, Gilgeous-Alexander gives maximum effort, which is why the Thunder rank first in defensive rating right now.
Gilgeous-Alexander is going to remain inside the top five of the MVP rankings throughout the course of the 2024-25 NBA season because he simply impacts winning.
3. Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers
2024-25 season stats: 3 games, 34.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.7 steals, 57.1 FG%, 40.0 3P%
Did anyone think the Los Angeles Lakers would be 3-0 to start the season with three wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings? Those are three legitimate playoff contenders, which is why JJ Redick deserves a lot of credit for the job he has done. More importantly, Anthony Davis deserves respect for the masterclass performances he has put together. When you think of the Lakers, you think of LeBron James' dominance, yet it has been Davis who has been the MVP of this team through one week of the new season by putting his name next to Kobe Bryant's in Lakers lore.
The main reason why Davis doesn't get the respect he deserves is because his run with the Lakers has been filled with injury concerns. Well, he played 76 games last season, and he looks the healthiest he ever has over his now 13-year playing career. What stands out about Davis right now is that he looks fast and in command of everything that is happening on the court. Aside from being a bruiser in the paint, Davis is proving to be comfortable both shooting and facilitating the offense from the perimeter, especially in give-and-go situations. There is then what the big man can do defensively, as his All-Defensive nature is no secret to anyone who actually watches the games.
LeBron may be the player that gets all the attention time and time again in LA, but this is Davis' team. If the Lakers are to be real threats in the West this season, it will be due to the fact that Davis is healthy and proving to be the best two-way big man in the NBA.
4. Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks
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2024-25 season stats: 2 games, 34.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 42.0 FG%, 37.5 3P%
At this point, there is nothing Doncic can do to impress anyone anymore. Setting new records is a nightly occurrence for the 25-year-old, and he just took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Besides winning a championship, the next step in Luka's career is finally winning the MVP race, something he certainly has a shot at doing this year with how wide-open the race is. Doncic has picked up right where he left off last season as far as his offensive production goes, and there really isn't anything to nitpick with how he is playing. After sitting out the entirety of the NBA preseason, Doncic is once again proving to everyone why he belongs in the MVP conversation.
Whether or not he can win the award is going to be influenced by his individual numbers, especially if he leads the league in scoring again as well as how he impacts winning in Dallas. With how crowded the Western Conference is, a team's record will 100 percent play a role in determining the NBA MVP award winner at the end of the 2024-25 season. Doncic, who played in 70 games a season ago for the first time since his rookie year, is going to have to remain available for the Mavs to win. The blueprint is there, and the MVP award is his to have. However, the only way Luka can truly win the MVP award is if his Mavericks outshine Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder during the regular season.
5. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves
2024-25 season stats: 3 games, 27.7points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 41.4 FG%, 37.5 3P%
The only player under the age of 25 who has a real shot at claiming the NBA MVP award is Anthony Edwards. Now that Karl-Anthony Towns is with the New York Knicks, Edwards' chances of doing so grow even larger simply because his usage rate and overall production will need to increase in order for the Minnesota Timberwolves to replicate their success from a season ago. Edwards is a stone-cold killer in the sense that he doesn't care who is guarding him or what the name on his opponent's jersey says. Whether it is the Celtics or the Washington Wizards, Edwards is going to show up, be his team's leading scorer, and make his presence felt defensively.
This season, Minnesota's star has been nothing short of fantastic. The most impressive thing about Edwards through two games, though, is how consistent he has been with his numbers. Edwards registered 27 points in the team's opening loss to the Lakers, followed by 32 points and 24 points against the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors, respectively. His rebounding numbers have been nearly identical in those three games, as has his assist output. Better yet, Edwards has made five triples in every single game thus far.
Consistency and impacting winning are the two most important measurements regarding the NBA MVP award. With Minnesota in the hunt for the top spot in the Western Conference once again and with Edwards ready to take that next step to superstardom in his career, it would not be shocking to see him as a finalist for this award.
Just missing the cut
6. Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns
7. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
9. James Harden – Los Angeles Clippers
10. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks
