ESPN revealed their second NBA MVP straw poll on Tuesday morning. The poll is voted on by 100 NBA media members. The voting panel consists of at least two voters from each NBA location, as well as selected foreign and national reporters.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers won the initial poll, but a meniscus injury has knocked him out of contention for 2023-24. Nikola Jokić, the Denver Nuggets’ two-time MVP in 2021 and 2022, currently leads the race. Let’s look at the current survey findings.
Jokić, who was previously ranked second, dominated the poll, accumulating 69 of the possible 100 first-place votes. The big man is enjoying another dominant campaign. He is averaging 26.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and nine assists.
Jokić’s otherworldly consistency ensures that he’s always in the running for the league’s top individual award. Jokić has only missed 35 of Denver’s 300 regular season games over the past four seasons.
The Nuggets are in the midst of a rare loss of form, having suffered consecutive blow-out losses to the Sacramento Kings and the Milwaukee Bucks. They sit 4th in the Western Conference, with a record of 36-18.
Denver is 1.5 games back of the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, with one game remaining on their schedule before the All-Star break. Should the Nuggets lock down the first seed for the second year running, the MVP will be Jokić’s to lose.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has emerged as a surprise candidate this season. The 25-year-old will be a starting guard for the Western Conference All-Stars, knocking out Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards. He is the only player other than Jokić to collect double-digit first-place votes (24).
Gilgeous-Alexander, averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game, has been instrumental in the Thunder’s rise to the top of the Western Conference.
Similarly to Jokić, his chances for MVP will depend on his team’s position. OKC is competing with the Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Clippers for the first spot.
