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Community Shootaround: Is NBA MVP Race Over?

April 5th, 2023 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid had one of his best games of the season on Tuesday night in a 103-101 victory over Boston, scoring over half of his team’s points and keeping Philadelphia’s hopes alive for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed.

Embiid’s final line included 52 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists on 20-of-25 shooting. He was a plus-17 in nearly 39 minutes. The 76ers were outscored by 15 points in the nine-plus minutes he didn’t play.

In the view of head coach Doc Rivers, it was a convincing closing argument from Embiid in what has been a hotly contested battle for this season’s Most Valuable Player award.

“We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid,” Rivers said after the game, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “The MVP race is over.”

Teammate James Harden – who had a double-double of his own in the victory, with 20 points and 10 assists – also believes Embiid has done enough this season to lock up his first MVP award.

“Joel should win it,” Harden said. “He’s been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year. It looks like he’s going to lead the league in scoring this year. We’re the third seed in the East. He’s been consistent all year.”

Embiid certainly has a compelling case for MVP honors. His 33.3 points per game lead the NBA, as Harden observes. He’s chipping in 10.2 RPG, 1.7 BPG, and has matched a career high with 4.2 APG. His .547 FG% is a career best, as is his .859 FT% on 11.8 attempts per game. He’s the anchor of Philadelphia’s defense and the team is 11.2 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court than when he’s not.

It’s not just Embiid’s coaches and teammates who are endorsing his MVP candidacy either. Plenty of players around the NBA have made the case for the Sixers star, including former MVP Stephen Curry, who told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report this week that Embiid would get his vote.

Of course, as has been the case all season, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are posting superlative numbers of their own and they’re doing so for the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences (though it’s worth noting that Embiid’s Sixers have the same record as Jokic’s Nuggets).

Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high 31.1 PPG to go along with 11.8 RPG and 5.7 APG while making a strong case for All-Defensive recognition. Jokic, the advanced metric darling, is nearly averaging a triple-double (24.8 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 9.8 APG) and the difference between the Nuggets’ performance when he’s on the court (+12.8 net rating) and when he’s not (-11.5) is stunning.

Still, a recent straw poll conducted by Bontemps had Embiid holding a slight lead over Jokic. The Nuggets star, battling a right calf issue, has only played 24 minutes since the results of that poll were published, while Embiid has scored 105 more points across three games and has added another signature outing to his résumé.

Additionally, while media members may claim that voter fatigue isn’t a factor in their picks, the fact that Jokic and Antetokounmpo have won two MVPs apiece while Embiid has yet to win one may help tip the tip the scales in his favor — especially since there’s a sense he has been a worthy candidate for each of the last few seasons.

That brings us to today’s Community Shootaround question: Is Rivers right that the MVP race over? Has Embiid clinched it? Or is still a two- or three-man race as we enter the final five days of the season?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Northwest Notes: Towns, Terry, Jokic, Trail Blazers

April 3rd, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

A disastrous week for the Timberwolves culminated with Sunday’s loss to the tanking Trail Blazers, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota dropped its third straight game despite facing a Portland team that was missing nearly all of its regular rotation players, leaving the Wolves likely headed to the play-in tournament if they reach the postseason at all.

The most concerning thing about the game was the lack of involvement from Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with eight points and took just three shots from the field. The Timberwolves have been focused on getting Towns more comfortable in the offense after missing 52 games with a calf injury, but he appeared as disjointed as he was early in the season when he was first learning how to play alongside Rudy Gobert. Krawczynski notes that Minnesota ranks 27th in offensive efficiency since Towns returned two weeks ago.

“We talked a lot about KAT trying to fit into the flow of the offense, and I think he was a bit too passive tonight,” coach Chris Finch said. “So we needed him to still stay aggressive. I thought in his second shift when he went out there, he drew a lot of fouls, but he wasn’t aggressive throughout the rest of the opportunities.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Twenty years after trying to join the Jazz as a player, Jason Terry is making an impact as an assistant coach, notes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Terry signed an offer sheet with Utah in 2003, but the Hawks decided to match it. Now he’s part of Will Hardy‘s coaching staff, explaining that he loves being around the game. “I’ve done a variety of things,” Terry said. “But I get the most joy and excitement out of being on the front lines, being in the fire with the guys — film sessions, training, and then in-game, just trying to manage the game and put them in a position to be successful out there on the floor.”
Nikola Jokic missed his third straight game Sunday with tightness in his right calf, and Mike Singer of The Denver Post suggests that the Nuggets might consider sitting him out for the rest of the regular season (Twitter link). Denver’s magic number to clinch the top seed in the West is down to one, and it may be more beneficial to make sure Jokic is rested and healthy for the playoffs.
Now that the Knicks have clinched a playoff spot, the Trail Blazers are assured of getting New York’s first-round pick this summer, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. The selection that Portland acquired in a February trade was lottery protected.

Injury Updates: Kessler, Jokic, Monk, Allen, Russell

April 2nd, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz big man Walker Kessler, one of the league’s top rookies, is being evaluated for a concussion, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.

Kessler was elbowed by teammate Talen Horton-Tucker as Horton-Tucker drove to the basket, causing Kessler to fall backward. The play occurred during the third quarter of Utah’s loss at Brooklyn on Sunday.

“Kind of a weird play on a rebound,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “The docs looked at him tonight, didn’t want (him) to come back in the game, so he’ll be reevaluated (Monday).”

We have more injury-related updates:

Nuggets big man and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic missed his third consecutive game on Sunday due to right calf tightness, Kendra Andrews of ESPN tweets.
Kings guard Malik Monk didn’t play on Sunday after getting injured during warmups. He experienced mild lower left leg muscle soreness, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets.
Bucks swingman Grayson Allen departed early on Sunday due to a right ankle sprain, the team’s PR department tweets.
Left foot soreness sidelined Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell for the second half of the team’s game against Houston, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. Coach Darvin Ham said the move was precautionary and Russell could have played the second half, if needed.

And-Ones: Silver, Jordan, MVP Race, Cousins

March 30th, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to addressing the state of the CBA negotiations between the NBA and NBPA during his press conference on Wednesday, commissioner Adam Silver spoke about several other topics, including rumors that he could replace Bob Iger as Disney’s CEO (“I have no intention of going anywhere,” Silver said) and his meeting earlier this month with Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays, Silver also discussed the reports stating that Michael Jordan is in talks to sell a stake in the Hornets, explaining that Jordan expects to still be very much involved in the NBA even if he’s no longer the majority owner in Charlotte.

“One thing Michael has told me is that whether or not that transaction gets done, he will remain governor in the league, technically maybe the alternate governor instead of the governor, so he’ll still stay very involved,” Silver said. “He’d still continue to have an interest in the league.

“I recognize that over time, people’s interests move on to other areas. He’s not living in the market right now, etc. So, completely understandable. But the good news is, I think regardless of his ownership status, he will remain part and parcel of everything that this league continues to do. I have no doubt about that.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The 2023 MVP race is tighter than ever in the season’s home stretch, according to the third and final straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The 100 media members who submitted five-man ballots to Bontemps picked Sixers center Joel Embiid over Nuggets center Nikola Jokic by a grand total of two points (790 to 788). Jokic actually received more first-place votes (42) than Embiid (40), while Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was also very much in the mix, with the remaining 18 first-place votes and 612 total points.
Asked during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter audio link) if he has received feedback from NBA teams about why he’s not in the league, free agent center DeMarcus Cousins said he hasn’t gotten a real explanation. “I’ve asked many questions. I’ve reached out to former teams,” Cousins said. “I kind of get sugar-coated answers. I can never really get the raw, honest truth. I’ve struggled with that as well. I would love to get a real answer.”
In an Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton considers the effect a minimum games-played requirement would have on All-NBA voting, noting that players who have earned All-NBA honors while playing fewer than 58 games have often been among the league’s biggest superstars.

And-Ones: Revenue Sharing, Draft Lottery, NCAA Tourney, MVP Race, Broadcasting

March 18th, 2023 at 11:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors and Lakers were the biggest contributors in revenue sharing for the 2021/22 season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Those franchises combined to pay more than $88MM to smaller-market teams last season. A total of 10 teams paid out $163.6MM in revenue sharing. Adding in approximately $240MM in luxury tax payouts, there were 20 teams collecting a total of $404MM.

Topping the list of revenue sharing beneficiaries was the Pacers, who collected $42.2MM. The Nuggets ($35.5M) and Trail Blazers ($32M) rounded out the top three, according to Wojnarowski.

We have more from the basketball world:

For all lottery-bound teams, May 16 is the big night. That’s when the lottery will be held, the NBA’s PR department tweets. The G League Elite Camp will be held May 13 and 14, while the draft combine will take place from May 15-21.
UCLA guard Amari Bailey, Missouri forward Kobe Brown and Furman forward Jalen Slawson were among the draft prospects who helped their cause in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report details.
While Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic was seemingly pulling away from the pack for the Most Valuable Player award earlier this season, the race has tightened up the last few weeks, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes. Joel Embiid has pulled even with Jokic, according to a prominent Las Vegas sportsbook, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is very much in the running due to the Bucks’ surge to the top of the East.
The recent turmoil among regional sports networks affects 18 NBA teams, prompting The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov to detail what changes could be coming to the industry and what steps those franchises might take.

Northwest Notes: Braun, Murray, Lillard, Towns

March 13th, 2023 at 8:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Christian Braun‘s playing time has diminished since the Nuggets signed veteran point guard Reggie Jackson. Braun may warrant a return to the second unit, considering his performance on Sunday against Brooklyn, Harrison Wind of TheDnvr.com writes. Braun had seven points, three rebounds and an assist in 12 minutes. Braun is also one of the team’s better defenders, Wind adds, and got an endorsement from the team’s franchise player.

“He was good. I actually told him, not just his energy, he actually played really good,” Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said of the first-round pick out of Kansas. “He had good minutes. He was talking on the floor. He was running correct. Energy, you need to have energy when you play, especially him.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Jamal Murray departed the Nuggets’ loss to the Nets in the third quarter on Sunday due to left knee soreness. However, a source told the Denver Post’s Mike Singer (Twitter link) that Murray was “fine.”
Damian Lillard missed Sunday’s game with calf tightness but coach Chauncey Billups was still stunned by how poorly the Trail Blazers played in a loss to New Orleans, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes. Portland trailed by as much as 39 points to the Pelicans. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either, knowing how pivotal this game is,” he said. “That team was very short-handed. That team was playing on the back-to-back. That team was very desperate.”
A good sign for the Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns was spotted in a practice uniform putting up shots at the end of the team’s shootaround in Atlanta on Monday, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets. A calf strain has kept the star big man on the shelf since November 28.

Western Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jones, Cancar, Nuggets’ Bench

March 12th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pumped in 35 points against New Orleans on Saturday but the Thunder are still playing it cautious with his recent injury. He sat out the second game of a back-to-back against San Antonio on Sunday due to what the team described as abdominal strain injury management, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. The Thunder star guard has exceeded the 30-point mark in his last four outings.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Tre Jones missed the Spurs‘ game against Oklahoma City on Sunday with a non-COVID illness, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Jones averaged 13 points and six assists in his last two appearances.
Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar was available to play against Brooklyn on Sunday, coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Cancar missed three games with a wrist sprain and also didn’t play against San Antonio on Friday.
The Nuggets’ second unit has been unsettled after changes were made during and after the trade deadline, Singer writes. Reggie Jackson has struggled with his shooting (29%) since becoming the backup point guard and Thomas Bryant has been relatively quiet since he was brought in to back up Nikola Jokic. “We’re still trying to figure stuff out,” swingman Bruce Brown said.

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Vucevic, Porter Jr., Micic, Prince

March 7th, 2023 at 10:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic doesn’t think Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic should be penalized for being a prior Most Valuable Player award winner when voters make their selections this season, he told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“I think he deserves to get another one, the way he’s playing. I think you take him out of that team, it’s not even close to the same team,” Vučević said of the Nuggets’ franchise player. “The things that he does, you look at his stats, the efficiency he’s playing at, it’s very impressive. And it’s not like he’s putting up numbers and they’re not winning. They’re (25-0) when he has a triple-double. And he plays in a winning way. He makes the right play. He doesn’t force. He doesn’t try to do something just to do it. It’s all within the flow of the game. It’s winning basketball.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Nuggets may finally reach the Finals this season in large part because of Michael Porter Jr’s maturity, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com writes. Porter has made himself a force at both ends of the floor after teams previously tried to take advantage of his defensive shortcomings. “I think Michael Porter has been just tremendous on both ends of the floor all season long,” coach Michael Malone said.
Serbian guard Vasilije Micic has hired the Wasserman Media Group as his new representative, HoopsHype tweets. Micic, whose draft rights are owned by the Thunder, is a two-time Euroleague Final Four MVP and is considered the best guard in Europe. However, it’s unclear whether the Thunder would have a role for the 29-year-old if he pursued an NBA career next season and he could be traded if he wants to make the jump.
Taurean Prince‘s value to the Timberwolves is reflected in their won-loss record, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. They are 24-17 when he plays and 10-16 when he doesn’t. “He’s like the ultimate glue guy with a little bit extra spice to it,” guard Mike Conley said. “You think he’s just three-and-D and all of a sudden, coming off pin downs, he’s making plays for guys. He’s being a leader. … He’s got a full game to him that’s really big for our second unit.” Prince has a non-guaranteed salary of $7.455MM next season and Minnesota has to make a decision on his contract status before free agency.

Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month

March 2nd, 2023 at 3:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA’s players of the month, the league announced (via Twitter).

Jokic, the Western Conference’s winner for the second straight month, averaged 22.6 points, 14.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists on .642/.500/.806 shooting in 11 February games (33.3 MPG). Denver went 9-2 in games he played and got blown out in the one game he missed (four starters were out). The Nuggets are 44-19, the No. 1 seed in the West.

The reigning back-to-back MVP recorded eight triple-doubles last month and now has 24 on the season — the team is undefeated on those occasions. According to the Nuggets, Jokic has shot 50-plus percent from the field in 49 straight games, which is the third-longest streak in NBA history.

Brunson, meanwhile, averaged 27.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists on .529/.426/.776 shooting in 10 games (37.8 MPG) last month. The Knicks went 9-2 in February, including 8-2 with Brunson in the lineup, and are currently on a seven-game winning streak, which has moved them up to the No. 5 seed in the East.

According to New York (Twitter link), Brunson is the first Knick to be named the East’s player of the month since Julius Randle won in April 2021. The 26-year-old guard is having a stellar season for the Knicks, averaging career highs in points (23.8), assists (6.2) and three-point percentage (41.0%).

The other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen and Klay Thompson, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Randle, Pascal Siakam and Trae Young were nominated in the East, per the NBA (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Towns, Sexton, Clarkson, Jokic, SGA

February 28th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Karl-Anthony Towns‘ situation in Minnesota and wondering whether the Timberwolves big man might become available via trade in the not-too-distant future, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (hat tip to RealGM). However, Krawczynski told Lowe that there’s no indication that the Wolves are considering such a move.

“I can tell you from everyone that I’ve talked to within the organization, they very much believe in KAT,” Krawczynski said, per RealGM. “They believe that once he comes back and they have some time to build around (Anthony Edwards) and (Rudy) Gobert and KAT, they very much believe that can still work. (Head coach) Chris Finch believes it. (President of basketball operations) Tim Connelly believes it. They don’t have any plans to trade him.”

There has been skepticism that the Timberwolves’ twin towers duo of Towns and Gobert can be effective, but the organization still believes in the pairing and hasn’t had an opportunity to assess it at length this season — Towns has been limited to just 21 games so far due to a calf strain that has sidelined him since November 28.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Jazz guard Collin Sexton will remain on the shelf for at least one more week due to his left hamstring strain, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The team stated that Sexton is “progressing as expected” and will be reevaluated next Monday. His backcourt mate Jordan Clarkson has also been added to the injury list and will miss Tuesday’s game with a sprained right thumb, tweets Larsen.
It remains to be seen whether Nikola Jokic will win a third consecutive Most Valuable Player award, but Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has already made up his mind about this season’s MVP race, per Craig Meyer of The Associated Press. “If you’re looking for a super athlete to win MVP, he’s not your candidate,” Malone said of Jokic. “If you’re looking for a great player that impacts winning in every possible way, whose team is first place in the Western Conference, then he’s your man. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think. I know he’s the MVP and his teammates know that and all the fans here in Denver and back home in Serbia know that.”
Already hampered by an abdominal strain and right ankle soreness, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The OKC All-Star has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game vs. Sacramento and will likely miss at least Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers too now that he’s in the COVID-19 protocols, Mussatto adds.