It's time to end the discourse once and for all. The NBA regular season is back, and it rocks. Who says the players don't care about regular season basketball? Anthony Edwards stuffing Jayson Tatum in the waning moments of regulation before whipping up an overtime masterpiece happened in the regular season. And, it rocks!
The product has been great across the board. There are upstart young teams putting the pieces together. OKC! Orlando! Indy! The old guard continues to dominate. The Warriors are Warriors'ing, the Celtics are stupendous, the Nick Nurse Sixers are a revelation. There's a lot to love about what's going on in the league right now.
It's only natural to take early stock of the year's greatest debate. The MVP race has been an absolute bloodbath in recent years, with endless vitriol on every side of the battlements. A lot of disingenuous comments have been made about Nikola Jokic's defense or Joel Embiid's "foul grifting."
What should be happening is a celebration of the many great talents in our league. Because, newsflash, we're gearing up for another tight race between the traditional MVP powerhouses. Rather than cutting one down to elevate the other, let's appreciate the greatness on display league-wide.
Here are your early November MVP frontrunners.
Honorable mentions: Tyrese Haliburton, Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis
NBA MVP power rankings: Week 2
The Boston Celtics finally lost on Monday in an overtime thriller against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That shouldn't hurt Jayson Tatum's case much. At 5-1, Boston remains tied for first place with the look of an obvious powerhouse in the East. There isn't a more balanced contender on their side of the bracket right now.
Tatum has 'best player on the best team' energy on his side, but he has been plenty dominant individually. He's averaging a cool 30.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on .549/.420/.824 splits. His percentages will probably dip eventually, but Tatum continues to elevate his shot-making profile with each passing season. When Boston's offense stalls, Tatum is the bail-out artist. His proficiency on difficult shots is borderline unmatched, and he's one heck of a defender, to boot.
The Celtics should remain at the top of the standings all season. Tatum is 25 years old with multiple conference finals appearances on his résumé. It has always been a matter of when, not if Tatum will receive genuine MVP consideration. He faces stiff competition from superstars who still hold marginal advantages in the broader scheme of NBA stardom, but the combination of production and team success is hard to ignore.
One slight nitpick — Tatum is averaging the fewest assists of his career since 2019-20, in conjunction with a career-high turnover rate. The Celtics are adjusting to new personnel, but Tatum's relatively milquetoast playmaking profile remains a rare strike against him when compared to other mega-star creators who handle similar workloads. Tatum has the luxury of leaning on Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and the like, but he still has room to grow when it comes to reading the defense and generating opportunities for teammates.
It feels a bit silly to rank Stephen Curry — one of the all-time great offensive weapons, still operating at the peak of his powers — fourth. It almost doesn't compute. But, it's a testament to the elite talent on display across the league. Again, despite all the handwringing about the "product," the game is in good hands.
The Golden State Warriors are 6-2. It's way too early for sweeping, conclusive statements, but the Warriors might be back. Last season was difficult for several reasons, many of which stemmed from the simmering feud between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. That's not a problem anymore. The Warriors swapped Poole for a proven winner in Chris Paul. The bench might be the best in the NBA. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are making leaps, and Dario Saric has been a hand-in-glove fit.
Of course, the driving force is still Curry. He is a singular defensive stressor, warping schemes with his 3-point gravity and incessant off-ball movement. He has worked up fast chemistry with Paul, who has never had trouble making life easier for his star teammates. Per usual, Curry's efficiency is through the roof — .530/.475/.913 — despite a high volume and even higher degree of difficulty on his shot attempts. Curry's usage rate is up a tick compared to last season despite CP3's involvement in the offense, and he currently leads the NBA in offensive box plus-minus (11.0). Again, it's early, but Curry is a machine. He always is.
If the Warriors continue to stack wins, it will be impossible to keep Curry out of the mix. He lands No. 4 here based on the sheer impossibility of choosing between the top candidates, but he is not far removed from the top spot. He is one of the most uniquely impactful offensive weapons in NBA history and he is marching right in line with his career-best marks. Father Time is going to catch up to Curry eventually — he's 35 years old, somehow — but he gets so far on shooting touch and basketball I.Q. The sharp decline we usually expect from small guards late in their careers doesn't appear to be coming any time soon.
The Dallas Mavericks lost to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets last week in what could be the first matchup of the season between eventual MVP finalists. Otherwise, the Mavs have been perfect, currently a half-game behind Denver in the standings at 6-1. The difference compared to last season's Mavs squad has been night and day.
Dallas' front office deserves credit for its savvy offseason moves, all of which were made with Doncic in mind. The Mavs should have a lengthy competitive window with Doncic at the controls, but it's never wise to dilly-dally with a star of Doncic's caliber. He has championship engine upside, and the Mavs are wise to invest in winning full-stop.
Late last season, the Mavs' offense often devolved into a hero-ball split between Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Naturally, there are still elements of that. Doncic and Irving are arguably the two greatest iso scorers in the NBA. But, the Mavs are pushing the tempo more, and it's difficult not to point to rookie Dereck Lively as a significant catalyst for good. Giving Doncic an elite lob threat has completely changed the geometry of the game for opposing defenses. It's difficult to stop such a dominant in-between scorer when committing the extra defender can lead to an easy pitch-and-catch at the rim.
Doncic keeps getting better, too. He gets a few stray James Harden comparisons, but those should be taken as compliments, not warnings. There isn't a better heliocentric, one-man offense on the perimeter right now. Doncic possesses an intuitive understanding of how to manipulate a defense, whether it be for his own benefit, or to generate open looks for teammates. His stop-start, horizontal handles, expertly calculated bursts of speed, and unmatched finishing strength make him virtually impossible to contain. Throw too many defenders at him, and he will comfortably locate the fissure and exploit it. He's a beast.
He's averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.9 assists on .493/.413/.786 splits. Again, a beast.
And. Here. We. Go. (Again.)
The Philadelphia 76ers are 5-1, with a one-point opening night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks standing as their only blemish. The James Harden trade is complete, which means Philadelphia's offense has been entirely given over to the Embiid-Maxey two-man game. There wasn't a more potent offensive play in the NBA last season than Embiid running pick-and-roll with Harden. Turns out the Maxey pick-and-rolls might be just as dominant.
Nick Nurse is lauded for his defense first and foremost, but the Sixers' offensive growth compared to the Doc Rivers era is already pronounced (and Rivers' offense was good). Embiid continues to dominate as a face-up weapon at the elbow. The Sixers lack perimeter creators outside of Maxey, but the result has been more cutting and off-ball motion than ever before. Embiid is still not the best passer, but he's quickly processing double teams and using his gravity to create easy finishes at the rim for Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, and the like.
The stats are hard to ignore — 32.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on .535/.429/.828 splits. The 3-point numbers are going to fall back to earth eventually, but Embiid continues his career-long trend of improving each and every season. His approach is as efficient as ever, but he's still an absolute beast individually. He dropped 48 on the Washington Wizards on Monday, including a masterful 29-point third quarter in which he went 10-for-10 from the field and 9-for-9 at the free throw line.
Embiid's assist numbers are up and he's also playing his best defense in years. Nurse challenged Embiid to take more "swings" as he put it, and the reigning MVP is averaging a healthy 2.0 blocks per game so far. He hasn't averaged such a high clip since his more carefree rookie season, back when injury preservation wasn't as front of mind. He has a legitimate DPOY case, and he's in line to lead the NBA in scoring again. He's better, folks. Embiid's stock took a hit in the postseason, but he's offering a strong reminder of his singular talent level.
The Denver Nuggets are 7-1 despite a brutal early-season schedule. A potentially extended absence for Jamal Murray looms, but it's clear Denver is right back on top of the NBA power hierarchy. The primary reason is, of course, the best player in the world. There isn't anybody doing what Nikola Jokic is doing right now.
The surface-level stats pop, per usual — 28.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists on .633/.387/.744 — but Jokic's impact stretches far beyond the box score. He is once again a favorite of catch-all metrics, ranking first in win shares per 48 minutes (.344), box plus-minus (13.5), and VORP (1.1). There is also simple on-court evidence. He's unstoppable, perfectly balancing his individual dominance with a desire to elevate teammates.
Jokic might actually be the best scorer in the NBA, with all due respect to Embiid, Doncic, Tatum, and the like. Jokic's ability to plow through smaller defenders and tip-toe around slower fives is a sight to behold. He plays elite, fundamental basketball, with balletic footwork and feather-soft touch one would more commonly associate with an elite guard finisher. Jokic can shoot over the top with a one-legged fade, use his shoulders to carve out space in the paint, or pop out to the 3-point line and produce at a hearty volume.
He's impossible to defend one-on-one due to his size, strength, and skill combination, but he's also the best in the world at picking apart defenses that commit too much help. Jokic faces a constant stream of double teams, but leave even the slightest sliver of a passing lane open, and he will drill his teammate right in the shooting pocket. Denver has mastered the art of cutting and off-ball movement around Jokic, while his two-man game with Murray might be the most refined set of actions in the NBA.
Jokic is the sun around which the NBA's best offense orbits. He's not a great defender, sure, but he's not bad either. He's back in the saddle at No. 1, no matter how eager we are to crown a new MVP. There's a long season ahead, but don't be shocked if Jokic parades all the way to his third trophy.
