With every team having played at least 20 games, the first quarter of the 2021-'22 NBA regular season is over. As the second stage of the season commences, it's also the beginning of every race that involves awards and honors, most noticeably MVP. And while it's not a surprise, there's a large group of early-season MVP candidates, even if only a select few genuinely compete for the award throughout the season.
Down below is our ranking of the top five NBA MVP candidates right now.
Curry is aging like fine wine. At 33-years-old, the former two-time MVP's scoring average of 27.8 points per game places him amongst fine company—Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant are the only players in NBA history to average more points at Curry's age. Not to mention, Curry is the biggest reason why his Golden State Warriors are off to an 18-3 start, tied for the best record in the league.
The man who's also known as "Easy Money Sniper," is not only playing arguably the most efficient ball of his career ever, but he's the heart and soul of a Nets team that's reigns first in the Eastern Conference. And remember, Durant is doing this without star point guard Kyrie Irving and former MVP James Harden being inconsistent every night.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP has tapped into another level of play as his production (27 PPG, 11 RPG, and 6 APG) is powering the Bucks to an eight-game winning streak, the second-longest across the league. And for those who value a player's performance in the clutch, Antetokounmpo made the game-winning layup to defeat the Charlotte Hornets in a thrilling 127-125 victory on Wednesday night.
Ever since his arrival in the desert over a year ago, CP3's greatest contribution to the Suns has been his play during crunch time. Fewer players, let alone guards, impact the game in every way possible like this future Hall of Famer. Plus, when your team is riding the league's longest winning streak (17 games) and your latest win is against the previously 18-2 Warriors? Your name is rightfully in the MVP conversation.
Even though most of the attention has shifted towards the Warriors, Suns, Nets, and Bucks, the noise coming out of Chicago has remained loud, and it's because of DeRozan. Besides averaging his second-career-best point per game (25), the former long-time Raptor's production in the clutch and quickly-established chemistry with his star teammate Zach LaVine are why the Bulls have a 14-8 record right now.
