The NBA season is coming to an end, and that always means it’s time to look at the awards, and especially, at the fan favorite, the Most Valuable Player. This season, that guy should be Devin Booker, but the media favors others such as Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic. Here I’m trying to explain why they are wrong.
The Most Valuable Player award, or the MVP as we usually refer to it, was created to congratulate an exceptional season for one individual player. There have always been different approaches on how to cast the vote, and that narrative ends up deciding who gathers this award.
The usual opinion is that the leader of the best team (or one of the best teams) in the NBA should be granted the MVP trophy, giving a lot of importance to the team’s record. For instance, in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Giannis Antetokoumpo was given the MVP, and his Milwaukee Bucks were the top team in the NBA both times, with a 60-22 record in 2019, and a 56-17 record in 2020.
Another different approach would be to look at an outstanding season from one player, regardless of the record. Or if not regardless, at least not giving it much weight. The best example of this can be found in the 2016/17 season, when Russell Westbrook won MVP. The Oklahoma City Thunder were only sixth in the West, with a 47-35 record.
However, Westbrook’s individual accolades were decisive in the MVP race. He posted his career-high in points with an average of 31.6, while also adding 10.7 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game, in what was the first time since Oscar Robertson that an NBA player averaged a triple double. That, together with the narrative that Kevin Durant left Oklahoma and nobody expected the Thunder to make the playoffs, made Russell Wesbtook an undisputed MVP.
This 2021/22 MVP should be Devin Booker, but for what it looks like, it’s not going to be him.
The two biggest names in this season’s conversations are Joel Embiid and last year’s MVP Nikola Jokic. Yes, if you look at individual stats, they may be a little better than Booker’s. According to Basketball-Reference.com Embiid has 29.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while Jokic posts 26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists. On the other hand, Booker averages 26.5 points, 5 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Yes, the numbers of Jokic and Embiid might be slightly better, but their team records are not.
The reigning MVP sits in the sixth position of the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets and they are 16 games behind the leaders (Booker’s Phoenix Suns).
In the case of Joel Embiid, despite being joined by James Harden in Philadelphia, the 76ers are only the fourth best team in the East. They are only two games behind Miami Heat, who are currently in first place, but compared to the Suns, they have won 15 games less.
Although each player surpasses Devin Booker in at least one of the main stats, none of them are as special as Russell Westbrook’s 2017 season to make the case for an outstanding season. Adding to that, they are so far behind the Phoenix Suns that you can’t also make a case about one of the best teams in the league.
Looking for other NBA players that are standing out this season, you can see that Trae Young is the only star who is a Top-5 in at least two of the main three stats (points, rebounds and assist), but the Atlanta Hawks are in a much tougher position than the other teams, in the 10th spot and having to go through the play-in to make the playoffs.
You could also argue that the leading scorer, and the only current player to average over 30 points this season (LeBron James) should be up in this conversation, but the Lakers are in the same situation as the Hawks with even fewer games won.
Also, the website StatMuse wrapped up some specific stats that makes you realize even more why Devin Booker deserves the MVP this season.
Five of the last seven MVPs were the leading scorers of the best team in the NBA. That would be Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020, James Harden in 2018, and Stephen Curry in 2015 and 2016.
On the other hand, only nine times in NBA history a player has posted a 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds season while also winning 80% of their games. Out of those nine times, eight were worthy of the MVP award (Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, LeBron James twice, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo).
This season, the only player who fits in this list is Devin Booker.
In conclusion, with no outstanding performances by any individual player, and no team coming even close to the Phoenix Suns’ season, there is one clear choice for the MVP Award, and that is the leader in the best team in the NBA: Devin Booker.