MVP contenders for the 2021/22 NBA Season?

Tue, Nov 9, 2021
by CapperTek

Most of the major and popular sports in the world, other than golf and tennis, are team ones. The successful teams are those that all manage to work together, putting their individual selfishness and needs aside, to be all fighting for the same cause. As the old saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work.

However, in many sports, it is still possible to pick out individual players for praise and awards. In soccer, the best player on the planet each year is awarded the Ballon d’Or. In American sports, this award is usually named the MVP, or most valued player. In the NHL, the current holder of the award is Connor McDavid. Over in the MLB, Jorge Soler was named as the World Series MVP after playing a key role in helping the Houston Astros to their first championship since 1999. In the NFL, the most recent recipient of the award was Aaron Rodgers, who also won the award back in 2011 and 2014.

In the NBA last year, the winner of the MVP award was Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. The man known as the ‘Greek Freak’ is a power forward for the Bucks, having joined them from the Greek side Filathlitikos way back in 2013. He has since become not only a key member of the Bucks but also one of the best players currently in the NBA. He was instrumental in helping Milwaukee win the 2021 NBA title, their first since 1971. Not only that, but Antetokounmpo also won the award in 2019, being one of the few players to have won it in consecutive years.

With the 2021/22 season now underway, the question on many people’s lips will be who is in the running to win the 2022 MVP award? Already, fans and bettors will be using an odds tracker to see who the likely candidates are, to see if they can get good odds on these players at the early part of the season. Let’s take a look at some of the potential winners, and see how they & their teams have started this new season.

Will Antetokounmpo make it 3 from 3?

Given how well the ‘Greek Freak’ has played over the past few seasons, you would certainly expect him to be the running for MVP come the end of the season. For him to be there, however, the Bucks do need to improve their results. So far they have played 8 games, winning 4 and losing 4.

The season began positively, with a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, where Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, which was the highest of any Bucks player. But performances, both personally and as a team have been inconsistent; they were heavily beaten 137-95 by the Miami Heat, lost out to the San Antonio Spurs 102-93, and then fell foul of the Utah Jazz 107-95.

It hasn’t been all bad, as they convincingly won their most recent game against the Detroit Pistons 117-89, with Antetokounmpo again the high scorer with 28. He and the Bucks will be hoping to find some good form in their next fixture against the New York Knicks.

Curry and the 76ers off to a strong start

Seth Curry is considered to be a journeyman of the NBA, as he never seems to stay in one place for too long. Since he turned pro, he has played for 10 different clubs, including two spells at the Erie BayHawks and the Dallas Mavericks. He joined the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2020, and helped them to the Conference Semifinals, where they lost out to the Atlanta Hawks.

Both Curry and the 76ers have begun this season very well, with 7 wins and only 2 losses. Their standout games have been against the Hawks, where they got revenge for the playoff defeat by winning 122-94, with Curry scoring 15 points, and against the Chicago Bulls, where Curry scored 22 of their 103 points. If he and the 76ers continue the season in this fashion, not only will they make the playoffs but Curry could be in contention for the MVP.

Can LeBron grab his 5th MVP?

While few would disagree that LeBron James is one of the finest basketball players in NBA history, it’s been a while since he last won MVP. Yes, he and the LA Lakers were NBA champions in 2020, but LeBron hasn’t won the MVP since 2013, which seems crazy for someone of his talent.

The Lakers have started the season fairly well, winning 5 of their 9 games. LeBron sat out their most recent game, a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but performed well against the Houston Rockets, with 15 of their 95 points, and with an impressive 26 in their 113-101 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both he and the Lakers are never to be written off, so not only could they make it to the playoffs and further this year, but LeBron could well winhis 5th MVP award come the end of the season,