With the Clippers soaring to the top of the power rankings and Leonard also voted the Weekly Awards, a question arises: Does Leonard have a chance to be elected MVP? It is said that the best player of the best team is elected MVP, and the Clippers are approaching the best team in the West, will Leonard become the first person to have three Finals MVPs in hand, but no regular season MVP?
Leonard is averaging 24 per game this season2 points 64 rebounds 37 assists 1He made 7 steals and shot 53% from the field and 45 from three-point range1%。He has approached MVP 2 times. One was in the 2015-16 season, losing to Curry; One was in the 2016-17 season, losing to Westbrook and Harden, both while playing for the Spurs. Since then, he has not come close to the MVP selection again. So, does he have a chance this season?
Leonard has the advantage of capturing the MVP. First, the Clippers are getting close to the best team in the West. After Harden joined the team, after a series of defeats in the early stage, the Clippers began the "Northern Expedition" journey, after which they experienced 9 consecutive wins and 14 wins and 3 losses, and are currently in third place in the West, only one win away from the top two Thunder and Timberwolves in the West. The Clippers' recent surge in results is the first thing to mention, and it is also Leonard's biggest capital for MVP.
Secondly, Leonard's attendance this season is something to be thankful for. He has played in 44 of the 48 games he has played in and has missed just four, which is not far from the NBA minimum of 65 games required for player participation. At this rate, Leonard is on track to play his most games since the 2016-17 season, when he finished third on the MVP list.
In the end, the best team chooses the best player, and Leonard also has a play. After Harden joined the team, he scored 17 points and 49 rebounds 8Five assists filled the Clippers' lack of ball handlers, benefiting Leonard and George. So far, Leonard has the most points on the team, and among the four superstars on the team, he is also the only one to have won a championship, having won championships from James, Durant, and Curry, respectively. He's the best player for the Clippers.
In order not to let Leonard become the first person to win three Finals MVPs without a regular season MVP, the league will not sit idly by. But these advantages can't ensure that Leonard gets the MVP.
Leonard has two disadvantages, one of which is that the stats are not particularly impressive. In the NBA, Leonard ranks only 20th among all players in points per game, and there are four candidates who average 30 points per game (in addition to Embiid, there are three others, namely Doncic, Antetokounmpo and Alexander). Although Jokic was elected MVP in the 2020-21 season, he only averaged 12th in points per game, but after all, this is only once, will Leonard be the second time?
The second disadvantage is the number of superstars of the Clippers. Excluding Harden and Willis, the Clippers also have George, who is also averaging 22 per game7 points 55 rebounds 36 assists 16 steals will split Leonard's vote. Leonard's current situation is a bit like Durant during his time with the Warriors. Because of Curry's existence and the Warriors' superstar group, Durant has missed the MVP in a row.
Leonard's situation is different from Jokic's two MVP seasons. At that time, Jamal Murray, who was on the Nuggets team, was injured in the middle of the 2020-21 season and was recuperated until the 2022-23 season. Leonard doesn't have Jokic's "advantage."
In short, Leonard is now at this critical juncture. Whether there is a MVP in the regular season is related to the team's record and personal performance, and it is also related to whether the player can tell a good story. But Leonard doesn't care with or without a regular-season MVP, the Clippers have bigger goals for their final season before leaving Los Angeles. Does Leonard have a chance to win the MVP? (Mao Mao Daddy Push-ups).