The NBA All-Star game is just a week away, and as we get closer to the 2/3 mark of the regular season, it's the perfect time to take a look at the top 5 MVP candidates for the 2019-20 season.
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There are a few surprises on the list, and a couple of no-brainers who are very familiar to MVP lists. Reining MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is certainly familiar to being in Player of the Year discussions. The "Greek Freak" is only 25, but has found himself right in the thick of the player of the year race in each of the last two seasons.
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The Bucks do-everything star averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists while capturing his first MVP award last season. All the Greek Freak has done for an encore in 2019-20 is average 30.0 points per game, a whopping 13.5 rebounds, and another 5.8 assists per game. He's shooting 54.9% from the floor, and added a 3-point shot, logging 31% from long-range. He's also 26th in the league in blocked shots at 1.1 per game. It all adds up to the young phenom being the easy choice to top the mid-season MVP list. Barring a surprise, it seems as though Antetokounmpo will make it back-to-back NBA MVPs.
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The Bucks might be coasting along with the league's best record, but LeBron James has been extremely solid while leading the Lakers to the top seed in the West. Certainly the addition of Anthony Davis, who is also having an outstanding season, has been a big part of the Lakeshow's resurgence, but James has been the leader, & spearheaded LA getting back to where they belong - in position to compete for a Championship.
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James is 11th in the league in scoring at 25.0 per game, he's shooting a very solid 49.0% from the field, and leads the NBA in assists at an impressive 10.8 per contest. As usual, he's been a triple-double threat each time he steps on the court, throwing in 7.7 boards per game as well. Don't be surprised to find LeBron right in the middle of the discussion, especially if the Lakers go on to wrap-up the top seed in the West, which is looking ever-more like the case.
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One of the league's most pleasant surprises has been the meteoric rise of the Mavs' young phenom, Luka Doncic. The 20-year is in just his second season, but he's took the West by storm, and turned heads with how good he's been so soon into his NBA career. He's 6th in the league in scoring at 28.8 per game, 15th in rebounding at 9.5 boards per contest, and a remarkable 3rd in assists at 8.7 per game. He's shot a solid 46.4% from the field, while leading the Mavs to a 32-21 record - good for 7th in the West, and safely in the playoffs.
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The Rockets' James Harden has been a scoring machine for a handful of seasons now. Houston's star guard has Russell Westbrook as a backcourt mate this year, but the results have been a bit mixed. The Rockets are 33-19 at the moment, which of course is safely in the playoffs, but are currently sitting at just the 5-seed in the West.
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Harden's endured a rare prolonged shooting slump, but seems to have snapped out of it a bit as of late. He once again leads the league in scoring at a whopping 35.3 per contest, but is shooting just 43.6% from the field. The Beard has once-again been an all-around contributor however, currently ranking 11th in assists at 7.3 per game, and 9th in steals at 1.7 per contest. He's also averaging a solid 6.4 rebounds per game, landing him on this list. The shooting woes and Houston's inability to crack the top 2 or 3 in the West keeps him a little farther down the list for the time being.
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Lastly, we have another surprise in Portland's Damian Lillard. The Trail Blazers' hot-shooting guard has been a talented scorer for the past five years now, as he's averaged at least 25.0 points per game in each of the previous four seasons. He's took it up to a whole new level in 2019-20, however, averaging a career-best 29.8 points per game (good for 3rd in the NBA), while shooting 46.3% from the field, and a sizzling 39.8% from long-range.
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He's averaging a whopping 38.8 points per game over his past 13 games, a stretch that included (3) 50-point games, and a 6-game stretch where he averaged an insane 48.8 points per contest. In addition to all of the scoring, he's been an incredible distributor, ranking 6th in the league at 7.9 assists per game. The problem is, Portland is still just 9th in the West & currently 2.5 games out of the playoffs. If they can win some more games down the stretch and climb into the playoffs, Lillard might very well rise closer to the top of the MVP discussion by season's end.
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Here is a look at the top 5 NBA mid-season MVP candidates:
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NBA MVP CANDIDATES
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*Statistics with current league ranking in ( )
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GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO | Bucks
30.0 ppg (2) 54.9% fg 13.5 rpg (5) 5.8 apg (24)
1.1 bpg (26)
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LUKA DONCIC | Mavs
28.8 ppg (6) 46.4% fg 9.5 rpg (15) 8.7 apg (3)
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LEBRON JAMES | Lakers
25.0 ppg (11) 49.0% fg 7.7 rpg (25) 10.8 apg (1)
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JAMES HARDEN | Rockets
35.3 ppg (1) 43.6% fg 6.4 rpg (45) 7.3 apg (11) 1.7 spg (9)
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DAMIAN LILLARD | Blazers
29.8 ppg (3) 46.3% fg 39.8 % 3pt 7.9 apg (6)
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As always, I appreciate the support & would love to get your thoughts in the comments section below - who do you have on your current NBA MVP list?
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