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The Kia NBA MVP award is the highest individual honor that a player can receive in the NBA regular season.
With the 2021 offseason around the corner, teams have started to restrategize in order to become championship contenders in the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
Although the NBA Finals are still ongoing, the 28 other teams in the league have already started preparations for the new season. Players are also mentally preparing for the upcoming campaign and are looking to impress for a chance to win the coveted Kia NBA MVP award.
Nikola Jokic defied the odds to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP award after putting up stellar performances for the entire season. As we gear up for the new campaign, the slates are wiped, and every NBA player has an opportunity to win the award.
With that in mind, here are the top five early challengers for the Kia NBA MVP award in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#5 Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic became the first second-round pick to win the NBA MVP award in the league's history. He is also the first Serbian to win the award.
Jokic unlocked unreal levels for the Denver Nuggets during the 2020-21 season. The big man led the team in points, assists, steals, and rebounds.
The 25-year-old showed off his versatility and durability in the 2020-21 season. He featured in all 72 regular-season games, playing the second-most minutes behind Jamal Murray. In the playoffs, he featured in all ten games for the Denver Nuggets before the Phoenix Suns brought out the broom in the second round.
Jokic will be looking for an encore and might win the Kia MVP award for the second consecutive season if he can replicate his past performance.
#4 Stephen Curry
With Klay Thompson's imminent return, the Golden State Warriors will hope to be in title contention next season.
Stephen Curry was the scoring champion for the 2020-21 NBA season and was a finalist for the Kia NBA MVP award. However, low production from his supporting cast resulted in the Warriors missing the playoffs.
Curry is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen and has consistently delivered the goods for the Golden State Warriors.
With some of the offensive burden shared with Thompson, he will explode for another monster season that could earn him the Kia NBA MVP award.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo won back-to-back Kia NBA MVP awards in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward is currently competing in the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns. He has a good chance of winning the NBA Finals MVP award if he succeeds in leading the Bucks to victory in the series.
With his stellar showing in the 2021 NBA playoffs, Giannis will undoubtedly maintain that energy throughout the 2021-22 season
This season, the 26-year-old missed his chance at becoming the third player in league history to win the NBA MVP award for three consecutive campaigns. However, he has the chance to clinch the award for the third time in his career next season.
#2 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA. He is almost always a contender for the Kia NBA MVP award.
Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season after suffering an injury in the 2019 NBA playoffs. Despite missing an entire season, the forward came back better and led the Brooklyn Nets to a deep run in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Durant's case for the Kia NBA MVP award in the 2021-22 session is strong. Given how successful the Brooklyn Nets superteam was in their first year together, it is scary to imagine how dominant they might be when everyone is healthy.
#1 Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic has grown immensely since joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 and is likely to be the face of the league for years to come. If he performs as well as he did during the 2021 NBA playoffs, there's no way he will not be the Kia NBA MVP for the 2021-22 season.
Doncic averaged 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists in seven games against the LA Clippers during the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. Despite his valiant effort, the Dallas Mavericks did not do enough as a team to qualify for the next round.
As things stand, Doncic is the top prospect to win the Kia NBA MVP award for the new season.
