Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 10

Edwards sits here by default.

That’s because last week saw Minnesota fall in not one but two dispiriting games to the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, which led to the Timberwolves losing their perch at the top of the Western Conference. Edwards has held steady as the only real consistent scoring option in Minnesota’s offense, but he can’t do it all alone for a team that scored 88 whole points (!) in an NBA game in 2024.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: N/A

Barring a historic supernova performance through the rest of the regular season coinciding with an undefeated run by the Lakers, James has zero chance of winning his fifth career MVP award. That said, it says something that the all-timer can still put his team on his back like almost no one else at the age of 39. It’s wild he’s still doing this.

Last week was particularly heroic for James as he led the Lakers to much-needed back-to-back wins over the Clippers and Washington Wizards (I know, I know). Oh, and he became the first player ever to record 40,000 career points. That deserves recognition in the award race because James means positively everything to what the Lakers want to accomplish on the court.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Last week: 9

Like Edwards, Leonard maintains his place in the top 10 mostly because the bottom of this MVP race doesn’t have many strong contenders. Last week was somewhat of a rough one for the Clippers, who blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to the Los Angeles Lakers, in turn falling short of Phil Jackson’s famous 40-before-20 rule. If not for a dynamite 32-point performance against Minnesota’s league-leading defense in a win, Leonard might have fallen off here. He’s still keeping his team afloat as a top-four seed in the West, and that counts for something.

Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 8

The Kings go as Sabonis goes. If he drops a gritty triple-double (or something close to it), they probably win. If he’s mitigated in any way, then the Kings are probably getting blown out. Case in point: His marvelous 21-point, 15-rebound, eight-assist, three-block performance against Minnesota in a road win.

Sabonis is one of the finest big men we have in basketball and this remains a sterling season for the 27-year-old as he tries to help the lift the Kings up the West standings.

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 6

Mitchell’s value to Cleveland is best demonstrated by the team’s topsy-turvy week. In an instant classic win against the Dallas Mavericks, Mitchell dropped 31 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. In a double-overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls, Mitchell had just 19 points. And in his absence, the Cavaliers couldn’t beat a New York Knicks team playing without Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and O.G. Anunoby — their three best players.

Mitchell might be carrying the Cavaliers too much for them to make any noise this spring, but his value to his team’s success can’t be ignored. He better get healthy soon.

The Cavaliers say Donovan Mitchell received a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection to treat a left knee bone bruise that sidelined him for two games.

Mitchell is out for the next three games and will be re-evaluated over the weekend.

More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnZ8Y

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 4, 2024

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 3

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

I think the MVP race is so much more than “best player on the team with the best record/highest seed,” but you nonetheless gotta be on a squad with a lot of wins and a healthy place in the standings. After winning seven straight to start February, Dončić’s Mavericks have fallen off a cliff, losing four of their last five games. After putting themselves in the conversation for a top-five seed, Dallas is now part of the West’s play-in tournament. Oof.

Dončić is still stuffing the stat sheet (he’s got three straight 30-point triple-doubles!), but his complete and utter lack of consistent help otherwise is slowly dooming his MVP case.

AP Photo/Steven Senne

Last week: 5

I’ll put it this way: In a 52-point victory over the Golden State Warriors, Tatum had two points when the Celtics were up by more than 20 in the early goings. By and large, his final total of 27 points came in a game that amounted to wire-to-wire garbage time. You will never convince me Boston wouldn’t still be a dominant 50-plus-win team without his services, and that will ultimately hamper his MVP chances too much.

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 4

The Bucks have gotten into a groove since the All-Star break, solidifying themselves as the No. 2 seed in the East. It’s in no small part to Antetokounmpo finding his playoff form. A masterclass 46-point double-double with six assists against the Chicago Bulls exemplifies Antetokounmpo at his best and how he can elevate the Bucks’ ceiling when he’s running on all cylinders.

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 2

The Thunder, as young as they are, weren’t supposed to be this good this fast. Even with their talent, teams as youthful as Oklahoma City aren’t usually in a race for the West’s top seed. And yet, at the time of this writing, they sit at No. 1 in the conference in what is shaping up to be a dead heat down the stretch.

That’s almost entirely due to Gilgeous-Alexander, who might be the most consistent scorer in basketball. The Thunder star led the NBA in games of at least 30 points last year with 45. This year, with roughly six weeks left in the regular season, he already has 45 games of at least 30 points.

We’re watching the ascendance of one of the NBA’s next big names.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Last week: 1

The reigning Finals MVP was already the firm MVP frontrunner last week. Then Jokić helped the defending champion Nuggets romp the Sacramento Kings (a playoff team) seemingly without breaking a sweat, led them to a grinding win over the Miami Heat — their 2023 Finals opponent — mostly without Jamal Murray, and dropped a masterful 35-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist performance on the road against the Lakers on the same night LeBron James recorded 40,000 career points.

I mean, my goodness. Talk about a dominant tear.

Denver is rolling right now, and it’s because Jokić’s teammates are following the example of their leader. He has turned on the jets in the interest of solidifying Denver at the top of the West standings. Every other NBA title contender should be absolutely terrified because it looks like Jokić’s rounding into top form for a run at a back-to-back title is coinciding with him leading the MVP race.