NBA MVP Power Rankings Week 2: A new No. 1 emerges
It's time to end the discourse once and for all. The NBA regular season is back, and it rocks. Who says the players don't care about regular season basketball? Anthony Edwards stuffing Jayson Tatum in the waning moments of regulation before whipping up an overtime masterpiece happened in the regular season. And, it rocks!
The product has been great across the board. There are upstart young teams putting the pieces together. OKC! Orlando! Indy! The old guard continues to dominate. The Warriors are Warriors'ing, the Celtics are stupendous, the Nick Nurse Sixers are a revelation. There's a lot to love about what's going on in the league right now.
It's only natural to take early stock of the year's greatest debate. The MVP race has been an absolute bloodbath in recent years, with endless vitriol on every side of the battlements. A lot of disingenuous comments have been made about Nikola Jokic's defense or Joel Embiid's "foul grifting."
What should be happening is a celebration of the many great talents in our league. Because, newsflash, we're gearing up for another tight race between the traditional MVP powerhouses. Rather than cutting one down to elevate the other, let's appreciate the greatness on display league-wide.
Here are your early November MVP frontrunners.
Honorable mentions: Tyrese Haliburton, Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis
NBA MVP power rankings: Week 2
Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum. player. . Wing | Celtics. 18. 5. 5. . Previous Rank — 4
The Boston Celtics finally lost on Monday in an overtime thriller against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That shouldn't hurt Jayson Tatum's case much. At 5-1, Boston remains tied for first place with the look of an obvious powerhouse in the East. There isn't a more balanced contender on their side of the bracket right now.
Tatum has 'best player on the best team' energy on his side, but he has been plenty dominant individually. He's averaging a cool 30.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on .549/.420/.824 splits. His percentages will probably dip eventually, but Tatum continues to elevate his shot-making profile with each passing season. When Boston's offense stalls, Tatum is the bail-out artist. His proficiency on difficult shots is borderline unmatched, and he's one heck of a defender, to boot.
The Celtics should remain at the top of the standings all season. Tatum is 25 years old with multiple conference finals appearances on his résumé. It has always been a matter of when, not if Tatum will receive genuine MVP consideration. He faces stiff competition from superstars who still hold marginal advantages in the broader scheme of NBA stardom, but the combination of production and team success is hard to ignore.
One slight nitpick — Tatum is averaging the fewest assists of his career since 2019-20, in conjunction with a career-high turnover rate. The Celtics are adjusting to new personnel, but Tatum's relatively milquetoast playmaking profile remains a rare strike against him when compared to other mega-star creators who handle similar workloads. Tatum has the luxury of leaning on Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and the like, but he still has room to grow when it comes to reading the defense and generating opportunities for teammates.