Jayson Tatum Climbs Past Luka Doncic on NBA MVP Ladder
The conversations surrounding the 2022 NBA MVP race have largely been focused around Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid continuing to battle it out as frontrunners. After all, both players have led shorthanded teams (for Embiid, this was mainly before the James Harden Trade) with massive stat-lines.
Jokic has seemingly overtaken Embiid for the top spot with some truly historic play while leading the Denver Nuggets to wins on a consistent basis – a Nuggets team that is still without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo has quickly emerged into the conversation with the historic stats he's been posting. His play has helped the Milwaukee Bucks find their stride once again. On NBA.com's weekly leaderboard, Antetokounmpo now is tied with Embiid for second on the list with Jokic leading the field.
Beyond Jokic, Embiid, and Antetokounmpo, there's a lot of room for debate. On the MVP ladder, Ja Morant comes up next in the conversation given that his Memphis Grizzlies rank behind only the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference at the moment. However, the Grizzlies have also posted a 12-2 record when Morant hasn't played this season.
DeMar DeRozan has been a hot name for some with how he's arguably been the top closer in the NBA this season. The Chicago Bulls have commonly been among the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings for much of the season, too.
The losses have been stacking up for DeRozan's short-handed Bulls as of late, though, and he appears primed to get passed up by a few names soon. This is where Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum come into focus.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Tatum is new to the MVP conversation this season. In fact, he went from being unranked among the top 10 spots to rising all the way to the No. 6 spot on the list—overtaking Doncic in the rankings. Both players will face off on Sunday in part of the nationally broadcast slate of NBA action on ABC.
Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game, while Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Both players have made their teams two of the best in the league if you only look at how they've played in 2022.
It does seem a little too late for either Tatum or Doncic to truly overtake the whole MVP conversation to the point of winning the award this season. However, both players appear primed to be serious candidates throughout their careers. Regardless of what happens this year, Doncic and Tatum are primed for All-NBA honors at the very least.
