As of this writing (late afternoon, March 31), most NBA teams have 6-7 games left in the season. Here is an update of the MVP Chase.
My current MVP formula is simple:
John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating (PER) + Player Wins (PW) divided by 2. (Player wins is the number of games a player played in which his team won). That is:
NBA MVP Points = PER + PW/2
The NBA MVP ballot has five names, voted on in order of preference. I'm not sure if much can be done to knock any of the current top three off of my ballot entirely. But depending on injuries, hot streaks and slumps, several players still have a good chance to get on the ballot. I've listed all of them here.
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets, 54.8
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks, 52.9
Joel Embiid, 76ers, 51.5
Devin Booker, Suns, 48.2
Chris Paul, Suns, 46.5
Luka Doncic, Mavericks, 44.8
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves, 44.7
Jayson Tatum, Celtics, 44.2
Deandre Ayton, Suns, 44.1
DeMar DeRozan, Bulls, 44.1
Steph Curry, Warriors, 43.6
Rudy Gobert, Jazz, 43.6
Trae Young, Hawks, 43.3
Kevin Durant, Nets, 42.4
Ja Morant, Grizzlies, 42,2
Donovan Mitchell, Jazz, 41.5
Jimmy Butler, Heat, 41.2
Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers, 40.6
James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase, Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, and JL Cells. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!