Time for my Tuesday Top 5, and today’s rankings point me in the direction of the NBA where it is way too soon to judge really just about anything…but, we’re sports fans, so this is what we do. Keep in mind, the Jazz, Spurs, and Blazers are three of the top teams in the NBA as it stands today. The Heat are 2nd to last in the east and LeBron hasn’t won a game yet. Things are weird early on in the season, but we do have some guys who are legit stars, that could be setting up for an MVP-like run. So, here are my top 5 under-the-radar MVP performers in the NBA 1 week into the season.
Leaving names like Jokic, Giannis, Ja, Jayson Tatum off the list. They seem too obvious, but there’s plenty of star power on this list. (No Bol Bol did not crack the top 5, however he is top 10 in PER)
5- Tyrese Haliburton- Starting real under the radar here. Haliburton was traded from Sacremento to Indiana last season and he has started this year on fire. Now, the Pacers aren’t going to win much, so in reality, he’s got zero shot at winning the award, but, he’s playing so well I thought he deserved a shoutout here. 20+ points in 3 out of 4 games, 10 or more assists in the 3 of the last 4, he had a game with 5 steals last Saturday. The dude is balling right now.
4- Brandon Ingram- Ingram isn’t going to play tonight and he got knocked out early in the last game the Pelicans played, BUT, the Pels are going to win a lot of games this season and he’s a big reason why. You add to that, the amount of coverage McCollum and Zion take away from him, and he could be a monster this year, as their most efficient offensive player. Through his first 2 games, he was averaging 28 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. That’s elite level stuff.
3- Donovan Mitchell- The Cavs are another team I expect big things out of this year, and we love love love assigning credit to new-comers, so Mitchell has a real shot here @ some MVP votes if he keeps this up. First 3 games- 31, 32, and 37 points. Mitchell has a lot of D-Wade in him as a guy who can score at will, pass, rebound, and defends at a decent level.
2- Devin Booker- Booker has opened the season shooting a torrid 53% from deep. He’s scored 28, 33, and 38 to open the season, and more than anything – he just looks like a man on a mission. The Suns were embarrassed last postseason, getting booted by the Mavs. This team has shown up with real purpose, and Devin Booker seems to be playing the game like a man-possessed. Get your MVP tickets now.
Number 1!- Damian Lillard- Maybe no one in the league who is hotter than Damian Lillard. Lillard has opened the season ranked 8th in player efficiency rating, 5th in points per game behind only Luka, Ja, Steph, and Donovan Mitchell – he’s got a 40 point game under his belt already, and most importantly – his team is winning. The Portland Trailblazers are the ONLY 4-0 team in the NBA and one of 2 teams still unbeaten (Bucks the other @ 2-0).
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