Top 5 NBA MVP candidates halfway through the season
4. Jayson Tatum
In a lot of seasons, Tatum would probably be the trendy pick as the league’s MVP. While he has been a tremendous player over his first handful of years in the NBA, he hasn’t necessarily been mentioned in this capacity until now. After showing just how much potential he had during the Celtics’ NBA Finals run last season, Tatum has come back in 2022-23 with a vengeance, proving he is one of the league’s true game-changing stars. The Eastern Conference Player of the Month in November is fifth in the league as he averages 30.7 points as well as 8.2 rebounds, and has put together six 40-plus point games. He has been at his best in some of Boston’s biggest wins of the year with 49 points and 11 rebounds against the Heat, 44 points in overtime against the Lakers, and 41 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Bucks on Christmas Day. Tatum continues to shoot the ball well, but has also shown a greater ability to get to the line this season, averaging 2.5 more free throw attempts per game compared to 2021-22. Like Embiid, Tatum will probably have to step up his play just a bit to get ahead of the top three candidates on this list, but if he can keep the Celtics in position to grab the NBA’s best record – which they currently hold at 27-12 – Tatum could vault to the top of the MVP conversation.
Jayson Tatum added to his best career poster dunks resume on #NBAXmas! pic.twitter.com/LYGHoNbtvm
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2022
