The MVP is always the talk of the town once the regular season is over. Who’s your pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, or Nikola Jokic? Or is it someone else?
Here at NBA.com Philippines, we made our picks and let the chips fall where they may. We also made things a lot more fun by picking another player who deserves our People’s MVP award. These players won’t win the actual award but they already won our hearts and minds and made the season more memorable.
JC Ansis
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
There's a reason why Joel Embiid finished as the runner-up in the MVP race behind Nikola Jokic in each of the past two seasons. It's because he's an exceptional talent. That's a fact.
And year in and year out, he's been a dominant force in the paint for the Sixers not only on offense but also on defense. Hard workers deserve to be rewarded, and it's high time he gets his due.
Forget coming in second. Joel Embiid will win the award this time. Trust the process.
People's MVP: Jalen Brunson
The Dallas Mavericks aren't in the playoffs, and the New York Knicks are. That's simply the Jalen Brunson effect.
Since he moved to the bright lights of New York City, Brunson has been nothing short of phenomenal.
His moves are sharper, but more than the career-highs and elevation to superstar status, Brunson has transformed into a leader whose mindset is to steer the franchise to greater heights.
Brunson understands the formula for winning. He's dedicated to the grind and constantly pursues consistency - qualities that New York needed and traits that Knick fans appreciate.
With Brunson leading the charge, the Knicks—a team that can now hold its own against tougher teams like the Celtics, Sixers, and Nuggets—finished fifth in the Eastern Conference.
There's a resurgence happening and New York is once again buzzing with energy, and that's mainly because of Jalen Brunson.
Polo Bustamante
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
This was Nikola Jokic’s award to lose. For most of the season, the Joker was the consensus MVP. He had the stats and the record to back up his claim for a third straight MVP. That was until April 5 (April 6 Philippine time).
On that day, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Boston Celtics. It wasn’t a must-win game for the Sixers as they were pretty much locked for the third seed in the East. That didn’t stop Embiid from dominating one of the top teams in his conference. He destroyed the Celtics to the tune of 52 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
On the other end of the country, the Denver Nuggets faced off against the lottery-bound Houston Rockets. Easy win right? Wrong. The Nuggets got thumped by the lowly Rockets and Jokic finished with only 14 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes played.
In a game with nothing but pride on the line, Embiid balled out for his third 50-point game of the season. That’s when Embiid pulled ahead for the MVP award this season. He set the tone for his team and made sure to get their heads straight heading to the playoffs. He sent a statement to all the MVP voters: I’m not coming in second this year.
People’s MVP: Anthony Davis
This season, Davis only played 56 games. Of those 56 games he’s played, 20 came without LeBron James, including 11 games during a crucial stretch of the season where the LA Lakers were fighting for a spot in the play-in. In those 11 games that the Lakers were without James, Davis towed the team to an 8-3 record. He averaged 27.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 56.4 percent shooting in those games. During that stretch, the Lakers went from 29-32 to an even 37-37 record.
The knock on Davis was that he was playing second fiddle to James in the Lakers. This season more than others, he proved that to be wrong. He put the team on his back and carried them all the way into the postseason contention.
So yeah, Davis might be ineligible for the MVP award because of the games he’s missed. But in the games he’s played, he proved that he’s worthy of being in the discussion.
Migs Flores
Real MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo
It's hard to imagine, but this Greek keeps getting freakier every season. Giannis is a couple of years removed from his back-to-back MVP campaigns but he's still every bit as good a player as he was back then.
He finished this season averaging a career-high in points at 31.1 with 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Those are numbers that are at par with his MVP seasons, yet he doesn't get as much buzz, mostly because he's already won this award before. Unlike Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks have continued winning this season. They quietly finished as the top seed in the East when most pundits selected either Boston, Philly, or Brooklyn to run away with the conference at the start of the season.
Consistency is boring, as the proverb goes. But that's only true for those who haven't tuned in to a Bucks game. Giannis still does one or two things a game that probably no one else in the history of the league can do. He makes this team elite on both ends with an exciting brand of basketball. He's probably not winning the award this season since voters are pining to crown Embiid, but Giannis will get some love in this column.
People's MVP: Austin Reaves
From his Linsanity-esque run in March to his old tweets getting exposed, there hasn't been a force quite like Redneck Mamba ever. No, he's not Larry Bird. But this was bound to happen to Hollywood Hornacek.
More than anything, Reaves deserves credit for single-handedly bringing lapsed Lakers fans back into the parish. Would he be just another role player if he weren't a Laker? Probably. But it's players like Reaves that the NBA needs more of to generate buzz every game day.
Isaac Go
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
My MVP for this season has to go to Joel Embiid. He had a master year: back-to-back scoring champ and Defensive Player of the Year candidate. What more must he do? I acknowledge that Jokic had another monster year, averaging close to a triple-double and Giannis is the best player on the best team. However, there were a lot of questions with Embiid during the regular season and he continually answered them. What more must he do to appease the critics?
I felt he should have won last year, but he didn’t sulk. He didn’t complain. He just went to work and put up another monster year. It’s about time he earns the respect of people and gets an MVP.
People’s MVP: Zion Williamson
For the people’s pick, it has to go to Zion Williamson. When he was healthy, the Pelicans were the number one seed. His combination of raw athleticism and skill made him a matchup nightmare and a human highlight reel. He surely would have been an MVP candidate. It is just sad to see him hurt and unable to stay on the floor.
It really shows that Zion can not only put on a show but help his team win as well. There is much anticipation to see what heights he can reach because the NBA community has already had a taste of what he can really do.
Lei Macaranas
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
In the past two seasons, Joel Embiid has finished as the runner-up behind Jokic in the NBA’s MVP race. This year, it appears Embiid will finally flip the script and get his first MVP award.
The race was close early in the season with Jokic and Giannis but not until Embiid dropped a whopping 52 points on the Boston Celtics in April. His odds of getting the votes quickly soared from there, with head coach Doc Rivers telling reporters after the game: “The man just scored half of our points in an NBA game. And I’m biased, but the MVP race is over.”
When you have a center serving air-tight defense at the rim and nailing down the crucial shots to raise your team to the third seed in the East, you’re not wrong for vouching he’s going to be named as the best player of the season.
People’s MVP: Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is considered a hero by a lot of basketball fans out there. At age 35, this is the point of his career where he is expected to slow down. Instead, it feels like the Warriors superstar is performing as good as he’s ever been.
Curry cemented his status as one of the all-time best players after his unbelievable run through last season’s playoffs, securing his fourth ring and first Finals MVP award. Golden State wasn’t really as dominant this season because of role player turnover and some locker room drama but Curry has kept the team running by putting up numbers on par with his unanimous MVP season in 2016.
This guy can be seriously considered for the MVP race if not for his shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for a while. The NBA has so many new superstars but everyone knows no one can replicate Steph.
Chris Newsome
Real MVP: Nikola Jokic
My NBA 2023 MVP would have to be the big man out of Denver and the reigning MVP of the league, Nikola Jokic.
He has led the Nuggets to the top seed in a very competitive Western Conference and is basically averaging a triple-double while shooting over 63% from the field. The Nuggets are night and day without Jokic’s all-around abilities and high IQ plays. That makes him the most valuable asset to this franchise throughout this season.
Oh yeah, he also wins games! Can he win a championship? Now, that’s a different story.
People’s MVP: Kevin Durant
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the Peoples Champ MVP award would have to go to Kevin Durant.
He had a roller-coaster of a year but has shown the ability to lead any team to the playoffs all on his own. Durant finished the regular season as part of the 50/40/90 club, which speaks volumes of his efficiency as a player, making his ability to affect the game undeniable.
That being said, due to the blockbuster trade that sent him to Phoenix and a series of unfortunate injuries, KD was forced to miss a lot more games than he would’ve liked this season. So, a lot of what he did this year has been forgotten. Let’s see how far the Suns can make a push in these playoffs. Durant might not get the MVP but he could possibly add another Finals MVP instead.
Yoyo Sarmenta
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid should win the MVP award this year by being the anchor of the Sixers on both ends of the court. He’s obviously an offensive beast after leading the league in scoring two years in a row. But he can easily be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with the way he alters opposing teams’ offense.
It would be naive to think that there’s no voter fatigue when it comes to picking Nikola Jokic for the third time in a row, but a change of narrative isn’t the primary reason for rooting for Embiid. He’s the best two-way player on the planet right now. Think of how much he controls the court by his sheer presence.
Even though I can’t shake the fact that Embiid missed the last meeting between Philadelphia and Denver in a showcase of MVP candidates (due to a sore right calf), he did make up for it by pouring 52 points on 20-for-25 shooting, alongside 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks versus the Celtics.
People’s MVP: De’Aaron Fox
Whatever happens to the Sacramento Kings this postseason, this team will go down in history as the guys who broke the 16-year playoff drought. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox are 1A and 1B in terms of star power but Fox is a straight-up killer in the clutch. It’s been an exhilarating ride watching him operate in the last few minutes of a game. It won’t be a surprise if he takes home the first-ever Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year Award.
Willie Wilson
Real MVP: Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid became only the fifth player in NBA history to average 33 points and 10 rebounds for an entire season. He carried a heavy load all season long for the Sixers on both ends of the floor. The Philly offense ran through him primarily. Defensively, he was the primary rim protector and showed that he can defend the pick and roll on the perimeter. He added 1.6 blocks per game to go along with 1.0 steals per game to his averages.
Embiid also came up big when the lights were brightest. I’m referring to his demolition of Nikola Jokic in their lone matchup this season. He also had a 52-point game while shooting 80 percent against the Boston Celtics - a team with the fourth-best defense in the NBA. After being the runner-up the last two seasons, he’s finally done enough to win this award.
People’s MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander essentially put the Oklahoma City Thunder on his back, destroying all expectations of them this season. This was a team that was expected to be competing for a chance to draft Victor Wembanyana but instead, they almost nabbed the eighth seed in the loaded West.
This season, we saw SGA enter superstar territory, making countless clutch baskets on the way to averaging over 31 points per game. He became only the third player in Thunder history to average over 30 points per game for an entire season. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t a traffic cone on defense either, averaging a block and 1.6 steals per game, making him one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA.
