The MVP is the most coveted award, outside of an NBA Championship, in the entire league. However, it’s not always indicative of who the best player in the league is.
Over the years it has become increasingly clear that the award is just as much about narrative than it is about anything else. Even things such as voter fatigue factor into the award.
A player can be playing insanely well, but if it doesn’t fit what the voters want to see from the MVP, then that player won’t win. It’s just how the award works nowadays.
That being said, a lot of the best players in the league will be in the race for MVP. This is just to say that the award is not the end all be all of great players in the NBA.
NBA Player Rankings Week 4: The top 10 NBA players so far
So, while an MVP ladder (or mountain) will show which players are most likely to win the award, it might not be able to portray who the best players in the league are in exact order.
That’s what this list is for. Welcome to the weekly NBA player rankings. It’s a couple of weeks late, but better late than never. We’re going to be keeping track of who the best players in the NBA are this season.
Winning definitely still factors in, but this is a very different question than who the MVP of the league is. So, without further adieu, who have been the best players in the NBA so far this season?
Honorable mentions: Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Montrezl Harrell, Karl Anthony-Towns, Jonas Valanciunas