NBA MVP race 2020-21: Top 5 favorites for the award right now

3) LeBron James

NBA 2020-21 Season Average - 24.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.0 SPG

Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets

Year 18 and LeBron James is the best player in the league by far and right now, there is no debate about it. After seeing him win his 4th NBA Finals MVP in the Orlando bubble, many around the league have started taking him for granted. For the King his sole focus is on helping the Los Angeles Lakers to repeat and hopefully in the process get his 5th Finals MVP trophy pushing him closer to MJ.

Even though LeBron James had the shortest off-season of his career, he has played all 11 games so far and is averaging 24.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.0 SPG. It is mainly due to James that Lakers find themselves with the best record in the NBA at 8-3. Even though he has AD alongside him, expect a few in the media to definitely keep LeBron in their heads while voting for this years NBA MVP race 2020-21.

2) Joel Embiid

NBA 2020-21 Season Average - 24.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.1 SPG

Philadelphia 76ers v Brooklyn Nets

After two consecutive failures in the post-season, it looks like Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is finally playing to his full potential. A lot of credit should go to Doc Rivers whose arrival in the 76ers camp has brought a new life to the team.

Even though there were rumors linking James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, partnership between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid seems to be flourishing under Doc Rivers.

The 76ers currently occupy the top-spot in the Eastern Conference, with Joel Embiid averaging 24.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.1 SPG. Many expected Embiid to be a MVP contender at some point in his career, given the skills he possess. One would think looking at the 76ers start that the time has come to give the Cameroonian the recognition he deserves.

1)Nikola Jokic

NBA 2020-21 Season Average - 24.3 PPG, 10.2 APG, 11.2 RPG

Denver Nuggets v Sacramento Kings

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is right now averaging a triple-double. He is a 7ft center who has produced mind-boggling numbers this season, including 17 assists in one game. Let that sink in for a moment. Here are the Joker's stats through the first 10 games of the season 24.3 PPG, 10.2 APG, 11.2 RPG.

Denver Nuggets, who reaced the Western Conference Finals last season have struggled so far with a 5-5 record. However, Nikola Jokic is doing something that we have never seen a center do in the modern era. He has become a leader on the team along with Jamal Murray.

if Jokic continues to dominate over the next few weeks and Denver Nuggets manage to improve their ranking further, it will be hard to see how the media fraternity doesn't see him as the favortie to win the NBA MVP race 2020-21. on