Where Jayson Tatum stands is ESPN’s first NBA MVP vote first appeared on NBC sports Boston
About a third of the 2024-25 NBA season has been played, so it’s a good time to take a look at the top contenders for major individual awards.
None of them have ignited a more heated debate than the league MVP, and there is no shortage of contenders this season.
ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps conducts several basketball MVP polls each season, and the voters are members of the media, many of whom will end up having the actual vote for the award.
Bontemps released the results of his first election Fridayand Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is a surprise in the first place. He received the first vote in 57th place out of 100 ballots.
Here’s a look at the top-five from Bontemps’ grassroots poll:
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Nikola Jokic, DEN: 827 total points (57 first votes)
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC: 678 (24 first-place votes)
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Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL: 643 (first 19 votes)
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Jayson Tatum, BOS: 267
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Luka Doncic, DAL: 123
Jokic has won three of the previous four MVP awards, including last season. Jokic is making a very strong case to win again, and if he does, he will join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), LeBron James (four) and Wilt Chamberlain (five). four) as the only players to win the MVP four or more times.
Jokic is averaging three-pointers with 31 points, 13 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, while shooting 56.4 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range.
He has a lot of competition for this year’s award, though, including from a couple players who haven’t won MVP before.
One of them is Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. The veteran forward leads the Celtics in points (28.3), rebounds (9.0), assists (5.5) and steals (1.2) per game. He is the best player on the league’s best team.
Unfortunately for Tatum, because he plays with so many good players, it will be very difficult for him to put up the kind of eye-popping statistics needed to win this award.
The last Celtics player to win the league MVP was Larry Bird in 1985-86. It was the third of three straight MVP awards for Bird. Tatum will be in the mix for MVP throughout his career, and may even win it at some point. But the most important thing for Tatum and the Celtics is winning championships.
They accomplished that goal last season, and are determined to do it again in May.
