A couple of weeks have passed since the start of the season, and several players have already distinguished themselves from the rest. Some of these players are actually the top MVP contenders for this season, while others are knocking on the door and might actually become contenders if they’re able to continue on this note.

Outsiders

Nikola Jokic

Jokic had a really strong start to the season, and his Nuggets are currently placed third in the West. This shows that the team has a lot of promise, and they actually have the chance to make it to the postseason. Jokic’s chances to stay in the race for MVP have gone down a bit, as he underperformed a couple of times in a row. Luckily for him, and the Nuggets, he’s found his form again as he scored 37 points and grabbed 21 rebounds on Friday.

Kemba Walker

Walker is definitely an outsider in this MVP race, but he is doing a great job for the Hornets this season. So far, Kemba is the second leading scorer in the NBA, just behind Steph Curry. Furthermore, Walker has shown that he’s a great fourth quarter player, who can turn the entire game around in the favour of the Hornets. Even if he hasn’t scored more than 10 points in the entire game, it only takes a couple of actions for him to take over the game.

Kyle Lowry

Lowry is doing a great job with the Raptors this year in this post-DeRozan season. Of course, he has a lot of help from Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 23.6 points per game, but Lowry is just a bit more convincing than his new teammate. Lowry is dishing out 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 17 points per game. On top of that, he’s already got 7 games where he managed to get 12 assists or more. If he can keep this up, it will be a great season for the Raptors, and with the help of Leonard, they might actually have a shot in the postseason.

In the lead

Stephen Curry

Curry is currently averaging 29.5 points per game, and is leading the entire NBA with that number. Besides that, he has been as unstoppable as ever from the three-point line. It’s surprising that Curry is only 9^th in percentage made threes, but if you take a look at the players above him, you can see that Curry has shot at least 60 more threes than anyone above him. Though he is sidelined with a groin injury at the moment, and will miss yet another game, he’ll probably return to action soon and continue on his successful run.

Joel Embiid

Before the season started, it was already projected that Embiid would have a great season, if he wasn’t bothered by any injuries. So far, he’s been healthy, and has been a vital part of the 76ers team. All his numbers have gone up from last season, and he’s averaging more than 35 minutes per game. Furthermore, he got 42 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks on Friday, which is something not a lot of players have done before him. If he continues to put up these numbers, he’ll definitely be in the running for MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Antetokounmpo continues to wow the fans with his spectacular actions and showing off his versatility, while also filling the stat sheet. Up until now, he averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1 block per game. This made him a vital part of the team, as they are currently second in the East, winning 10 out of 13 games.

Kawhi Leonard

Leonard already seems to be very comfortable in the Raptors’ system, and the season has only just begun. The Leonard/Lowry duo has led the Raptors to the 1^st place in the Eastern Conference, and that’s definitely a good start. Of course, the Raptors have been there before, but they always lacked the closer they needed to actually be able to make a difference in the postseason. If Leonard is already this good a little over a month into the new season, the Raptors can be a great contender when the postseason arrives. So far, he’s averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3 assists per game.