Hoops Habit
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid is early NBA MVP favorite

By Larry Mendte

Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 7
Next
NBA
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /

6. Anthony Davis

The center for the New Orleans Pelicans was a preseason favorite for the award, second only to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Like Embiid and Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis is averaging a double-double for the season  with 24.4 points and 12.0 rebounds, statistics that deserve MVP consideration.

But the Pelicans team would have to perform better for Davis to win. Right now, they are 5-6 and not a playoff team. The last player to win the MVP award for a team that played under .500 was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Los Angeles Lakers after a 40-42 record for the 1975-76 season.

The only other player to win for a sub-.500 team was Bob Pettit with the 33-39 St. Louis Hawks in 1955-56, the first year an MVP was named.

Aside from those two outliers, no player has won the award for a team that has not made the NBA playoffs, or that has played below .560.