Voter fatigue will be tested in the NBA’s MVP race this season – as long as Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic continues to play like he is right now.
Jokic, who may have just recorded another 30-point triple-double as you read this, is putting himself in position to win the award for the fourth time in five seasons. If that happens, he would be the first person to do that since LeBron James won four MVPs in five seasons (2009-2013) and just the third player in NBA history to do it, joining Hall of Famer Bill Russell (1961-1965).
Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never did that with his six MVPs (though he collected the award five times in seven seasons), and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan won MVP five times but never four in five seasons.
In this space, we’re a bit weary (and leery, too) of the idea of voter fatigue. The job of MVP voters – a collection of 100 NBA writers and broadcasters – is to identify and select the best player that season regardless of past results.
If that’s Jokic, so be it. Voting for MVP also isn’t an exercise in adjudicating whether one player deserves to win the award four times in five seasons and how that will look in the future.
Now, we’re just one month into the season, and there have been some outstanding starts from several players. So the MVP race is just getting started.
Here are USA TODAY’s NBA MVP power rankings:
NBA MVP power rankings
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Jokic, 29, has been spectacular – even by his standards. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks and shooting 56.3% from the field, 56.4% on 3-pointers and 84.3% on free throws.
In 10 games (Denver is 7-3 in those), he has six triple-doubles and nine double-doubles, including four consecutive triple-doubles. He is one assist shy against Utah and one rebound short against Minnesota from seven consecutive triple-doubles. He has recorded a 30-point triple-double, 20-rebound triple-double and two 16-assist triple doubles this season. If he keeps this up, he’s putting together a career-year to his Hall of Fame résumé.
2. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
The reworked Lakers offense runs through Davis, who is one of only two players averaging north of 30 points per game. Davis, 31, was last a serious MVP contender in 2017-18, when he finished third in voting. His numbers then are similar — if not a tier below — his current production: 31.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 10.8 field goals on 19.2 attempts per game. And, all this has come after Davis has battled ankle and eye injuries last week.
3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Though the NBA later admitted he had traveled before hitting a game-winning 3-pointer against Toronto, Tatum nonetheless converted it and has asserted himself more this season on the offensive end. Tatum ranks third in scoring (29.7 points per game) and rounds out his game with 7.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. His case continues to be impaired by the overall talent that surrounds him in Boston — in a late October game against Milwaukee, he scored only 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting (including one-of-eight from 3), and the Celtics still won by 11. Still, Tatum remains one of the most balanced two-way players in the world.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Of all the players on this list, perhaps with the exception of Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander is the most consistent. He has scored fewer than 25 points in just four of his 14 games this season — and each of those came in the Thunder’s first 10 games. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.3 points over the last seven and has taken on a bigger load with Chet Holmgren (hip) out indefinitely. Gilgeous-Alexander does it on both ends, too, excelling in Oklahoma City’s top-rated defense.
5. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
De’Aaron Fox scored 60 points Saturday and 49 points Sunday – 109 points in 24 hours! – raising his scoring average to 28.9 points. He also averages 5.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals and shoots 50.9% from the field and 34.5% on 3-pointers. Teammate Malik Monk has missed a week with a sprained ankle and is expected to miss another week, and Fox has increased his scoring in a time of need for the 8-6 Kings. Fox was an All-Star and All-NBA performer in 2022-23 but missed out on both last season – and he was right on the cusp. Playing like he is now puts him back in the running for those prestigious honors.