The 2022-2023 NBA MVP Race: Ranking the best players in March

The race for the prize MVPthe single most prestigious award given by the NBA during the regular degree, it is one of the longest and hardest battles to win. Not only do you have to perform at an excellent level and be persistent, you also have to be in a team with relevant jobs. After March, there are only a few days left in the 2022-2023 season to close the voting for MVP. The battle looks like a replica of the last three seasons, with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid fighting for the award.

With all this in mind, the NBA newsroom of The Sports News He chose his five picks to be MVP for the month of March. The scoring system is very simple: 1st gets 5 points; the 2nd, 4; and so on.

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#5: Domantas Sabonis, Kings of the Sacrament

• Statistics: 19.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists

Domantas Sabonis’ first inclusion in this race couldn’t be more timely. Without making much noise and without getting similar numbers to other stars, the Lithuanian added the Sacramento Kings in Playoff position.

This, which could be something ephemeral in any of the other 29 franchises, in the capital of California is quite a milestone. 17 absent seasons seems to be enough for some Kings who are on their way to finish the Regular Season in third place from the West. To put in context, the franchise has not ended here for 20 yearsin the 2002-2003 season.

Domantas Sabonis is the engine of this team along with De’Aaron Fox, a constant that has sustained Mike Brown’s men throughout the course. The former Unicaja player is the fourth player who makes the most passes per night, producing a more than respectable figure 7.2 helps while producing approx 20 points. A performance that makes him the second person with the most triples in this campaign.

#4: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

• Statistics: 30.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists

The best scoring season for a Celtics player in their entire history is not enough for Jayson Tatum to get his first win MVP. However, his strong performance and continued excellence during the Regular Season will earn the forward a first-team All-NBA nomination.

Eliminate Boston in the finals Passes were fuel for Tatum who, at various times of the course, was one of the three best in the entire league. The young man managed to leave behind the inconsistency that had always accompanied him, even raise their level of play establishing himself as a constant threat at both ends of the pitch.

#3: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

• Statistics: 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s numbers this season are outstanding. The best scoring record, almost equal to his maximum in assists and rebounds… All this makes the Milwaukee Bucks the leader by far in the Eastern Conference.

So is the case of the Greek who is the real great candidate for many to win the MVP, the third one in his case. A justification that lives in the old mantra of “the best player on the best team”. Without going any further, Giannis has broken the unanimity of this particular ranking in recent months, to the point of taking second place in the race for The Sporting News.

However, and as indicated each month, Antetokounmpo’s data has a certain pitfall. Yes, he’s scoring more, but he’s also increased his shooting average, and his triples and field goal percentage have decreased compared to recent years. His accuracy from the free kick is bloodier to look at, where he sits below 65%. At 12.3 attempts per night this is the worst record since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001 (51.3% on 13.1 shots).

#2: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

• Statistics: 33.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks

Joel Embiid may have based his media MVP campaign on repeating that he doesn’t want to do it, but his performances say otherwise. The leap that the Cameroonian giant took from mid-January to today shows that he intended to win the voters.

There are many ways to achieve MVP favorite status, one of which is to have a very attractive stat line. A 76ers player is on track to finish as the leading scorer again, something the same interior hasn’t done since 1972. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So is the impact in Embiid’s accumulation of offense more games over 40 points (12) than under 20 (4).

Embiid may win the hearts of the nominating voters and take his first MVP, but at the moment of writing TSN he is still a unanimous second.

#1: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

• Statistics: 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 9.9 assists

The competitive decline of the lump sums at the beginning of March was seen as a sign of weakness in Nikola Jokic, which was used to raise candidacy. Joel Embiid. Despite this, Serbia continues at the same level during the rest of the season, that is, in pure excellence.

From the hands of the two-time MVP comes 49.4 points per game between the shots he makes and the rest of his team produce thanks to his assists. For Embiid the data is 44.2.

While MVP doesn’t mean “most valuable player”, the best way to verify his value, even redundancy, is to contrast it with his absences compared to other candidates. While the 76ers have a 56.2% win rate without Embiid (9-5), in the case of Denver the figure drops to 37.5% (3-5). When both are available, the record also benefits Jokic with a 71.6% win against the Cameroonian’s 65.5%.

And if it goes to the game itself, it is the differential on the field that drives the Sombor native again:

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voting panel

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NFA or its organisations.