Should the NBA MVP Honor Go To The Best Player or Someone Indispensable?
The NBA MVP award is one of the more interesting races each and every season. Oftentimes, the selections by the voters come down to the final few games of the season, showing the razor-thin margins.
Celtics reporter Gary Washburn discussed how MVP voting should go during an appearance on Bleav In Celtics. He famously voted for Carmelo Anthony during the 2013 NBA season, despite LeBron James being the best player that season.
"Now, it's 11 years that I was the only one that voted for Carmelo and that I was the one, unfortunately, in terms of like I didn't know. But, you know, denied LeBron being the unanimous MVP in 2013 and everybody wants to know still what made me vote for Carmelo. And my reasoning was he was the he carried that team to the playoffs."
via Gary Washburn, Bleav in Celtics
Sometimes within this, the best player doesn't always win the award. In basketball, team success does factor into how a player is voted for.
"And when you're looking at MVP, the question is, do you vote for the best player in the best team or do you vote for the player who's indispensable to his team to where they would collapse or likely fall out of the playoffs, if not for this individual player?"
via Gary Washburn, Bleav in Celtics
When it comes to the NBA, the most indispensable player is likely LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. Without him, the team would be struggling even more so than they already are.
Or you could make the case for Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks or even Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. But for this season, there has been debate about whether or not Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics deserves the award.
Tatum is the best player on the best team, with Boston well ahead of the next closest squad in the standings. In 55 games for Boston, Tatum is averaging 27 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and one steal a game.
It has been an impressive showing for the young forward, and he has taken his game to the next level. With Boston dominating the rest of the NBA right now, many have wondered if he deserves the honor this season.
While there are other challengers in the league, right now, Tatum looks like the clear-cut favorite. His individual play, along with the team's success gives him an advantage over the other candidates.
Boston hasn't had a player win the MVP award since Larry Bird won it in 1986. If Tatum keeps this kind of play up, that will likely change.
Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.