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Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking Damian Lillard’s MVP chances

By Stevie Cozens

Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/undefined)
Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/undefined) /
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Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, has been playing at an MVP level for two straight seasons now. In 2020, and in 2021, he raised his production, and his efficiency, but unfortunately his teammates weren’t able to stay healthy enough.

Though both the West and East are stacked this year, you need to look at the teams that have a  legitimate star, but who will also have enough team wins for their best player to make a run at the award.

Here are the candidates and how they stack up.

Nikola Jokic – MVP Case – Strong

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is likely to put up gaudy stats with his usual amazing efficiency in the 2022 season. With running mate Jamal Murray likely out for the entire season with an ACL tear, Jokic will be relied on for his scoring, while also having a massive playmaking load too.

Jokic was a deserving MVP in the 2021 season, with career highs in virtually every category. But, t Nuggets also had a strong team record which netted 47 wins in a shortened season, the sixth-best record in the NBA. The Nuggets won’t be as good this season without Murray, but Jokic is still a likely MVP candidate.

Joel Embiid – MVP Case – Strong

If Joel Embiid doesn’t get injured in the 2021 season, we would likely have seen the Philadelphia 76ers franchise player lift his first MVP trophy. Though Jokic was a deserving MVP, Embiid had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history by a big man.

Usually around 59 percent true shooting, Embiid shot an uber-efficient 63.6 percent. He put up career highs in many categories, as he drove his Sixers team to 49 wins, and their best win/loss percentage since Allen Iverson won MVP in 2001.

This season, with Ben Simmons maybe not reporting to the Sixers as he looks to get traded, Embiid is likely to be in the MVP running again, as the Sixers will have a similar record too.

Kevin Durant – MVP Case – Strong

Health is the only thing stopping the stacked Brooklyn Nets from lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy this season. With Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the roster, there is no better offensive team in the NBA. But, with all three of these players missing time last year, they were unable to crack the Conference Finals.

This season, if Durant is healthy, and has at least one of these stars alongside for the entire season, there is a strong chance he is in the MVP race. There is a fine balance when stars play together around the requisite production or role to win the award, but Durant is at the peak of his game and will no doubt have the team wins and efficiency behind him.

If the Nets have their stars healthy with Durant as the main guy, he is a strong contender for MVP.