The Cleveland Cavaliers are still the best team in basketball.
As such, it only makes sense that they have one player right near the top of MVP voting.
That’s a simple argument, but sometimes, basketball is quite simple.
With that in mind, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson claimed that he certainly hoped that Donovan Mitchell got the nod this time around:
“I hope we will (have Donovan in the top five of MVP voting),” Atkinson said. “If you look at Shai, Shai’s having a great year, Donovan is right there. Just for argument’s sake, best player on best team.”
That makes perfect sense.
While Mitchell’s numbers aren’t video game-like, unlike Nikola Jokic’s or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s, he’s clearly been the catalyst for the best team in basketball.
So far, he’s averaged 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 45% from the floor and 38% from deep.
He hasn’t needed to score 30+ a night to get the job done, and that speaks volumes about the kind of team the Cavs have been this season.
Unfortunately, there are no well-defined criteria to determine who should win MVP.
Some believe it should go to the best player in the league, regardless of his team’s record.
Others claim it should go to the one with the most impressive stats.
Others argue that the MVP should be the most valuable player, meaning it should go towards the player that makes the biggest impact on a team, even a losing one.
And others think it should go to the best player on the best team.
Whatever the case, Mitchell should most definitely be near the top in all of those categories.
Unfortunately, this is a narrative-based award, and the media may have already made up their minds about the winner.
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