NBA MVP Ladder Week 4: DeMar DeRozan makes his unexpected debut

who once again leads the way for the MVP candidates.</a> Which players are just behind the baby-faced assassin on the NBA MVP ladder? We had to make room for the resurrection of DeMar DeRozan, who has been the best player on one of the league’s best teams thus far. Let’s jump into the craziness.</p> <p><em>Stats current through Wednesday’s games (November 17th)</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438264" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-438264 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2135,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1353521792.jpeg" alt="NBA MVP Ladder" width="3200" height="2135" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353521792.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353521792-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors</h2> <p><strong>Last Week:</strong> 1st</p> <p><strong>Stats:</strong> 28.7 points per game (2nd), 6.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 5.4 three-pointers on 40.6 three-point shooting</p> <p>Stephen Curry led the way a week ago and he does yet again. He stumbled a bit with a cold shooting night against the Charlotte Hornets, but rebounded with a fiery 37 points Tuesday night against old teammate Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, a performance which included nine three-pointers. Someone should have reminded Durant that the Warriors always beat James Harden before the Nets traded for him.</p> <p>After leading the league in scoring last season, Curry is once again first in the league this season, as his 28.7 points are just a hair above Durant’s 28.6. Curry’s usage rate is right in line with his second MVP season in 2015-16 when the Warriors went 73-9.</p> <p>No one was expecting that from this team, especially with Klay Thompson not back for some weeks yet, but their net rating of +13.2 is 4.9 points higher than the second-place Utah Jazz. This team is for real.</p> <p>Not all of the public all-in-one metrics are out yet, but Curry is third in Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), fourth in win shares per-48 (and second in total win shares), and has 11 more 3-pointers than anyone in the league.</p> <p>He’s having another incendiary season, warping defenses and opening up things for his teammates. Defensively he is perhaps putting together his best performance yet, at least since that second MVP season. Behold the wonder of Stephen Curry.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438263" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-438263 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1236573315.jpeg" alt="NBA MVP Ladder" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1236573315.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1236573315-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets. Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets</h2> <p><strong>Last Week:</strong> 4th</p> <p><strong>Stats:</strong> 26.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.7 3-pointers, 66.5 true-shooting percentage</p> <p>The Denver Nuggets have played all season without Jamal Murray, they have been without Michael Porter Jr. for multiple games (and without a good MPJ all year), and they have played a difficult schedule. The result? A 9-5 record, tied for third in the West, almost entirely because of Nikola Jokic.</p> <p>He is carrying the team on his back. When Jokic plays the Nuggets are a contender, and when he sits they are a lottery squad. He leads the league in almost every all-in-one metric, from BPM to VORP to win shares to EPM (<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Estimated Plus-Minus</a>). Some of those metrics have him putting up historic numbers.</p> <p>For example, the highest PER in NBA history for a full season is Giannis Antetokounmpo in his second MVP season with 31.9. Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Stephen Curry fill out the Top 10. This season through 13 games Nikola Jokic has a 35.5 PER.</p> <p>The difference between his number and Antetokounmpo’s 2019-20 number is 3.6. That is equal to the difference between Giannis and the 61st-best season in this metric. It’s obviously a small sample size, but what Jokic is doing right now is simply incredible.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438262" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-438262 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1353480062.jpeg" alt="NBA MVP Ladder" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353480062.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353480062-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 3. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets</h2> <p><strong>Last Week:</strong> 3rd</p> <p><strong>Stats:</strong> 28.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 3-pointers, 66.6 percent true-shooting percentage</p> <p>If Tuesday night’s game between Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry had gone differently, he could be perched atop the MVP ladder this time around. As it is, he will slot in at third, but that isn’t meant to take away from the incredible season Durant is having. With Kyrie Irving out and James Harden having lost a step, he has been the offensive supernova keeping the Nets afloat this year.</p> <p>Durant has been the master of the midrange, getting to his spots and rising up over whatever defender is thrown at him. Draymond Green and the Warriors have really been the only team to stop him this season. He is taking <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"http://nbashotcharts.com/zoned?id=804284859%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">61 percent of his shots</a> from the mid-range and averaging 1.16 points per shot, an absolutely insane number.</p> <p>Durant ranks fourth in the league in VORP (which is influenced by minutes played) and is likewise fourth in EPM (which is not). One has to think at some point he will cool off from mid-range, and perhaps then start increasing his three-pointers or trying to get to the rim (and thus the free throw line) more often. Right now, however, the shots are going in, and so he deserves all of the credit until they’re not.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438261" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-438261 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1353542103.jpeg" alt="NBA MVP Ladder" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353542103.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1353542103-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls. Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 4. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls</h2> <p><strong>Last Week:</strong> Unranked</p> <p><b>Stats:</b> 26.6 points (5th), 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 59.7 true-shooting percentage</p> <p>The Chicago Bulls have been one of the surprises of the NBA season thus far, surviving a tough schedule and multiple injuries and absences to demonstrate they have real staying power in the league. While there are multiple new players to thank for this, the most surprising and most impactful has been DeMar DeRozan.</p> <p>DeRozan has tended to be derided in certain basketball circles for what he is not; not a 3-point shooter, not a lockdown defender, not a ceiling raiser. His teams have historically been better with him off the court than on. Yet, this season, the Bulls’ success and his fit with this team have drawn out that he is an incredibly talented player who can excel in the right situation.</p> <p>DeRozan ranks fifth in the league in scoring, a throwback to his All-NBA days in Toronto, driven in part by elite 87.3 percent shooting at the line on 7.9 attempts per game. Even more impressive is that he is a key cog in one of the league’s best defenses.</p> <p>The Bulls aren’t simply surviving on defense despite him, but they are excelling defensively with DeRozan as a part of that success. He has the least staying power on this list, though, both because the Bulls may float back to earth a bit and his impact may revert to his recent numbers. For now, however, he deserves his flowers.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438259" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-438259 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1352751884.jpeg" alt="NBA MVP Ladder" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1352751884.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1352751884-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 5. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat</h2> <p><strong>Last Week:</strong> 2nd</p> <p><b>Stats:</b> 24.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 62.9 true-shooting percentage</p> <p>The Miami Heat got off to a blazing hot start before a shaky stretch saw them drop four of five games against a quintet of playoff teams. They have righted the ship since, going 3-0 over the past week, and staying in the mix at the top of the Eastern Conference.</p> <p>Butler has been the driving force behind that success – not the sole success, though, as Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro have been key to the offense, and Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker have been stout defensively – but he has been vital on both ends.</p> <p>He is shooting efficiently from inside the arc, has shot just enough from outside to keep defenders honest, and is excellent at the free-throw line. Even at age 32, he is second in the league at 8.8 free-throw attempts per game.</p> <p>Butler’s activity on the perimeter defensively has also been key for a team that needs the offensive juice of a handful of poor defenders in Duncan Robinson, Herro, and Max Strus. He is an elite help defender, with quick hands on the perimeter and the strength to switch onto all five positions as needed.</p> <p><strong>Just missed the cut: </strong>Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Paul George, LA Clippers; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz</p> <p>Giannis Antetokounmpo finally has his co-stars back, and as the Bucks rise back up the standings, his dominant numbers will lift him back onto the NBA MVP ladder. 4-5-6 on the ladder this week were all incredibly close, and it would not be surprising to see the two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP push his way towards the top.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/19/ranking-75-best-players-nba-history-75th-anniversary/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/19/nba-mvp-ladder-week-4/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/10/19/ranking-75-best-players-nba-history-75th-anniversary/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">