Sixers MVP ladder: Is Joel Embiid the early-season favorite?

NBA MVP ladder #2: Nikola Jokic

It’s way too early to call this a two-horse race. Durant, Leonard, and James are all compelling names with compelling cases, and other significant candidates — Doncic and Antetokounmpo, most notably — still have time to enter the conversation. That said, if votes were cast tomorrow, it would likely come down to Embiid and Jokic. It’s a coin flip, and the argument for Jokic is a strong one.

The Nuggets’ 7-footer is averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on 57.4 percent shooting. Again, the MVP is a narrative award, and Jokic dropping 47 on the first-place Jazz — led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert — is the kind of game voters point to. Not many can orchestrate the offense like Jokic, who can survey the entire court with even a turn of the head.

Denver is only 12-9, but is trending in the right direction and will likely improve on that record moving forward. The Nuggets are the fourth seed, and it’s safe to predict home-court advantage once the postseason arrives. Denver’s appearance in the conference finals last season was no Bubble-induced fluke — Jokic is one of the 10 best players in the world.

Another point in Jokic’s favor — and one that could hurt Embiid as the season progresses — is time missed. Jokic has appeared in all 20 of Denver’s games, and has never been prone to injury. Some of that is play style, as he doesn’t often elevate more than a couple inches. He doesn’t need to. Jokic has too long been underappreciated. He is right on par with Embiid — it’s virtually 1A and 1B, in this writer’s opinion.