2021 NBA MVP: The case for each finalist

Being named Most Valuable Player is one of the ultimate honors around the NBA. Joining a list that features legends of the game such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not an easy thing to do.

It goes without saying that you have to put up great numbers. The thing is that you have to outplay every single other player in the world while also leading your team to a good position. Empty stats won’t do the trick.

This year’s MVP race features three of the best players in the world, as usual: Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid. Here, we let you know why each of them should take the award home.

2021 NBA MVP: The Top 3 Candidates

3. Joel Embiid

Stats: 28.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 51% FG
Team Record: 49-23

Joel Embiid was the clear-cut favorite to win the award early in the season. He was as dominant as they come on both ends of the floor, swatting shots in the paint and then pulling up from three.

Embiid is perhaps the best big man in the world right now but his team still managed to win without him. He missed a third of the season due to injury and that’s why he slid in this MVP race. Otherwise, he’d also be one of the leading candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year.

2. Stephen Curry

Stats: 32.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 5.3 3PG, 48% FG
Team Record: 39-33

Stephen Curry has been a walking cheat code throughout the whole season. People questioned his impact and legacy, and he delivered by averaging career-highs in points, winning a Scoring Title, and setting the record for the most three-pointers per game.

Curry led the league in total points despite missing 9 games due to a tailbone injury. The Warriors had the worst offense in the past 5 years when he was off the floor and won nearly 60% of the games he played. If he hadn’t got hurt, he would be the obvious choice. In all honesty, I still think he is.

1. Nikola Jokic

Stats: 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 3PG, 56% FG
Team Record: 47-25

We know the NBA is a narrative-based league. The media was handing out the MVP award to Nikola Jokic even before the season started, so it’s not unusual to see that he’s leading the race at this point. It’s happened over and over.

But make no mistake. Jokic hasn’t only lived up to the expectations but passed them by a mile. He’s averaging career-highs in points and is one of the best playmakers in the world despite being a center. He’ll be a worthy winner of this award even if he wasn’t the best player in the league or his team didn’t finish with the best record in his conference, like Curry and Embiid.