Kia MVP Ladder: There's no easy way into this season's fray

Despite Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding performance this season, he still falls outside of the Top 5 in our most recent Kia Race to the MVP Ladder.

When asked Tuesday about what type of player should be considered for the Kia MVP, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell gave his best explanation.

Keep in mind, he’d just carried Utah to its fifth straight win and 16^th in its last 17 outings against a formidable Boston Celtics squad. He scored a game-high 36 points with nine assists while dominating the last 5 minutes and 25 seconds by scoring 10 of the team’s final 18 points, while dishing dimes for the other eight.

Leery of the question posed by Sarah Todd of the Deseret News, Mitchell paused for a tick.

“Mitchell expressed, “The primary factor is team play. Although the MVP award is significant, it’s only achievable through team effort. We’ve been performing well so far. I view it as being part of the best team. We’re in our element currently, making plays, and still have ample opportunity for growth. It’s not about scoring 35, 10, and 10. It’s about doing what’s required. I feel a mutual trust with my teammates. I’m not concerned about it. I’ve been here for four years, and the fans understand that we often don’t get the credit we deserve, which is not just about me.”

• Friday on ESPN: Bucks vs. Jazz (9 ET)

He added, “I believe we use that as our motivating factor. I feel incredibly lucky to be in a position where my teammates rely on me to execute such plays. As for the rest, if it occurs, it occurs. I believe victory is the most important thing. Winning solves all problems. Winning heals all wounds. The external factors are beyond my control. My focus is to be the best teammate I can be and take it from there.”

I tried very hard to get Donovan Mitchell to subtly say that he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. It almost kinda maybe worked? pic.twitter.com/ndMCOfAVw8

— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) February 10, 2021

In this context, he’s not mistaken, and neither is anyone else expressing strong views on what appears to be one of the most competitive races for the MVP award in recent history. Mitchell, being the star of the show, leads the Jazz into Friday’s match against Milwaukee, boasting the NBA’s top record. During Utah’s five-game winning streak, he has averaged 28.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Despite this, Mitchell won’t climb higher in this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, reflecting the high caliber of the competition. LeBron James continues to hold the No. 1 spot, with a few shifts occurring in the second and third tier of contenders.

Stephen Curry moves up some after lighting up Orlando for 40 points Thursday in his 17^th career game and second this season with 10 or more 3-pointers, before he walked off the floor like this. Damian Lillard creeps up, too, after putting up 19 of his 30 points in the first quarter of an overtime win over Joel Embiid and the 76ers, while Jazz big man Rudy Gobert makes his Ladder debut.

And now, the Top 5 this week in the 2020-21 Kia Race to the MVP Ladder:

1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 25.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.9 apg

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

James didn’t shoot it particularly well in Wednesday’s overtime win against the Thunder, but he came through in the clutch. He’s a big reason the Lakers are still riding a season-high six-game win streak, as they’ve captured wins in nine of their last 11 games. In all three of Los Angeles’ OT wins this season, James clocked in with at least 40 minutes, making him the first player age 35 or older in league history to play 40-plus minutes in three straight OT victories.

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Season stats: 29.1 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 1.3 spg

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Embiid ran off to another fast start against Portland with 23 points in the first two quarters for his NBA-best eighth game this season with 20-plus points in the first half, before scoring just 12 more in the second half of Thursday’s OT loss. He’s scored 25-plus points in 10 consecutive games, becoming just the fourth 76er to accomplish that feat. The loss to Portland marked the first time Philadelphia suffered a defeat this season with its full starting lineup of Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Danny Green.

3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 26.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.6 spg

The day after last week’s Kia MVP Ladder dropped, Jokic hit Sacramento with a 50-piece despite the Nuggets missing their starting back court. The 50 points represented a career-high, but Jokic also contributed 12 assists, eight rebounds and three blocks to become the first center since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975) to put up 50 points and 10-plus assists. Jokic enters Friday’s game against OKC (9 ET, NBA League Pass) averaging 32.3 points in his last three games, but the Nuggets need to stack some wins as they’ve lost three of their last four.

4. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 29.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.2 apg

In an MVP field this competitive, you can’t miss games unnecessarily. But Durant gets a pass here because of the reasoning behind his absence. Durant is expected to return Saturday against his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Durant hasn’t played with James Harden and Kyrie Irving since Brooklyn’s Feb. 5 loss to the Toronto Raptors. When KD misses time, the return games are scary. In the four contests this season he’s played coming off missed games, he’s averaged 34.3 points, shooting 54.3% from the field, 41.7% from deep and 90.7% from the free-throw line.

5. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 26.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.8 spg

Coming off 17-of-40 shooting and 0 of 7 on 3-pointers in two straight losses, Leonard racked up a season-high 36 points Wednesday against Minnesota to help the Clippers snap their skid. Going into Friday’s game in Chicago (8 ET, NBA League Pass), Leonard is averaging 28.2 points through his first five games of February. The Clippers will need to lean on him more with Paul George (right toe) out for the current road trip. Leonard has a reputation as a closer, but we need to see more in winning time since he’s 4-6 this season in clutch situations.

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The Next Five:

6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

7. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

8. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

9. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

10. Paul George, LA Clippers

And five more: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics; Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics.

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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