Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

NBA

2018-19 NBA MVP Ladder: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads November edition

by Gerald Bourguet Follow @GeraldBourguet
Next1 of 11Prev post
Use your ← → (arrows) to browse
NBA

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

With November coming to a close, it’s time to take our monthly look at the developing but wide open MVP race for the 2018-19 NBA season.

About a month into the 2018-19 NBA season, the MVP race is starting to take shape — and by that, we mean, “has changed from an amorphous blob that included every player in the league to a constantly shapeshifting amoeba that contorts on a week-to-week basis.”

Put plainly, the race is still wide open, which is why we’ve expanded the November MVP Ladder to include 10 candidates rather than five.

Taking a look at the standings, it’s easy to see why. Some of the NBA’s biggest superstars like Anthony Davis, LeBron James, James Harden and Kemba Walker are putting up eye-popping numbers, but their teams aren’t winning enough to catapult them to the top of the conversation.

Some of the league’s best teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets are good enough to warrant consideration when early All-Star projections come up, but as good as Tobias Harris, Marc Gasol and Nikola Jokic have been, they haven’t been statistically dominant enough to compare to the other MVP frontrunners.

And then there are the statistical marvels like Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook, who are putting up eye-popping numbers and clearly vital for two of the best teams in the West, but have missed nearly half the season due to injury. They’re sure to find their way onto the December MVP rankings once they return/stay healthy, but for now, they have to be held out of the top 10.

Bearing all this in mind, here’s how the top 10 MVP candidates in the league shake out heading into December.

Honorable Mentions: Victor Oladipo, Marc Gasol, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry

Next: No. 10

Next1 of 11Prev post
Use your ← → (arrows) to browse