Ranking Every Active NBA MVP in 2022-23 Season
As the 2022-23 NBA season gets underway, the league has eight former Most Valuable Player winners taking the court.
Longtime star LeBron James, a four-time MVP, is the oldest member of the group. On the younger side are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, who've both won a pair of MVPs during the last four seasons. Rounding out the group is Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.
And today, we're ranking all eight in ascending order.
The criteria is based entirely on expectations for the 2022-23 season. Career accomplishments are not considered, or else LeBron would be the undeniable No. 1.
8. Derrick Rose
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It's likely no surprise that Derrick Rose is the first player highlighted. The fact that he's carved out such a long NBA career is impressive.
One decade ago, he missed a full season because of an ACL tear that ended championship dreams with the Chicago Bulls.
Rose never regained his previous 2011 MVP-winning form in Chicago, still shooting at a high volume but falling short of acceptable efficiency. He also went from averaging 6.8 assists over the first four years of his career to just 4.8 during his last three seasons in the Windy City.
At that point, the long-term prognosis was questionable at best. Plus, a seemingly constant string of strains and sprains have followed Rose since then.
Nevertheless, he's settled into a complementary spot for the New York Knicks and remains a modest, offensive-focused contributor.
7. Russell Westbrook
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With few exceptions, one-time superstars face a difficult moment in their careers. They may want to remain the focal point of a team, but their performance suggests a complementary role is best.
That reckoning is here for Russell Westbrook.
Throughout a terrific career, the 2017 MVP has been a high-energy player who atoned for inefficiency with volume and overall contributions. The numbers are still there; Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists last season, his first with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, he's struggled to find a satisfactory role alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That public frustration means the rumor mill is certain to include Westbrook until, or if, a trade is made.
Westbrook—a likely Basketball Hall of Famer—can remain a productive player, but his effectiveness is starting to slip.
6. James Harden
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Westbrook holds the nod in athleticism, but James Harden lands the edge over him because of his offensive arsenal.
The 2018 MVP had a relatively disappointing 2021-22 amid a hamstring injury and trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, shooting a career-low 33.0 percent from three. However, he still notched 22.0 points, 10.3 assists—the second-best mark in the NBA— and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Thanks to his vision and feel for the game, Harden is one of the league's most effective distributors. He does an excellent job manipulating pace and space to create scoring chances.
And now that he's not being gifted free throws with, um, atypical ways of drawing contact, Harden is more likable, too.
5. LeBron James
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One more time for emphasis: This ranking does not consider career accolades.
LeBron James is past the peak version of himself. Health concerns have plagued his four seasons with the Lakers, particularly since winning the bubble championship in 2020. Entering his age-38 campaign, James is also no longer a consistently impactful defender.
Yet he's still an absolute nightmare to stop on the scoring end.
Last season, he nearly led the NBA in scoring with 30.3 points per game (he fell two games short of qualifying to rank second) while shooting 52.4 percent overall and 35.9 percent from the three-point line. The 2009, '10, '12 and '13 MVP averaged 6.2 assists as well.
Playing his 20th career year, LeBron is merely a top-10 player in the league. Seriously: His longevity is absurd.
4. Kevin Durant
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Whenever you read about Kevin Durant, the term "pure scorer" probably makes a well-deserved appearance.
The combination of his total production and efficiency from every spot on the court is truly amazing. He's a mid-range master who also boasts a career 38-plus percent three-point clip. Factor in his picturesque shooting form and a 7-foot stature, and Durant is a total rarity.
As if that's not enough, he averaged a personal-high 6.4 assists last season. The 2014 MVP has also become a valuable shot deterrent in the later stages of his career.
Similar to LeBron, health concerns have popped up lately. After returning from an Achilles injury, he has managed 90 appearances for the Brooklyn Nets during the last two seasons.
When he's healthy, there are few players in the world more terrifying than Durant.
3. Stephen Curry
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The greatest compliment to give Stephen Curry is that he makes incredibly difficult shots look remarkably easy.
Heading into his 14th season, he's the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made. Although the Golden State Warriors legend just posted a career-worst 38.0 percent long-distance clip in 2021-22, that would be a career-high mark for a vast majority of pros.
Curry's gravity—the respect defenses must give to his range—is unmatched around the league. But the 2015 and '16 MVP also makes opponents pay with deft passing; he averaged 6.3 assists last year.
This ranking is heavily dependent on his offensive contributions, and Curry is the most feared shooter in the NBA.
2. Nikola Jokic
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If you're looking for controversy here, perhaps it's that Nikola Jokic is ahead of Durant and Curry.
But we're all about the two-time reigning MVP.
There are more physically imposing players. There certainly are faster players. But there are few others who manipulate on the offensive end as well as Jokic, who's both an efficient scorer and exquisite distributor. He sees passing lanes that probably do not exist for others.
During his pair of MVP years, Jokic averaged 26.7 points with a 57.5 field-goal percentage—including 36.0 percent from three—12.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
Jokic is a smart defender, too. In 2021-22, he ranked eighth in the NBA with 211 deflections and 10th with 109 steals.
The all-around impact Jokic provides is special.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
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The single major weakness on Giannis Antentokounmpo's scouting report is his limited shooting range. Yet he improved as a mid-range shooter in 2021-22, suggesting long-distance improvement is coming.
However, whether that happens isn't critical. In every other way, he's an elite weapon.
While attacking the basket, Antetokounmpo is an overwhelming force. The 2019 and '20 MVP has tallied at least 26.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in five straight years.
What separates him from the others, though, is his value on the other end. Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, has averaged at least one block and one steal in seven consecutive years.
Antetokounmpo is, with little hesitation, the most complete player in the league right now.
