They’ve finished one-two in the last two MVP races. Now Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are sharing Player of the Month honors for January.
It was an easy choice to go with Embiid in the East. He led the league with 34.9 points per game in January, grabbed 10.7 rebounds (11th-best) and shot 42.1 percent from three-point range while making 9.9 free throws per game, best in the NBA. Along the way, his 76ers went 11-3 — 8-2 when he was on the floor — moving from fifth place to third in the East. It’s his second Player of the Month this year, having won in December, and his sixth Player of the Month for his career.
November’s winner Jayson Tatum had a strong case, averaging 31.1 points in his 14 games, to go with 10.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Tatum’s success this year has set expectations higher for him, and 9-5 is a disappointing month for the powerhouse Celtics.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a strong month for the second-place Bucks — 31 points and 13.2 rebounds in a 9-1 month — but Embiid’s stats were better, mainly because he made 86.1 percent of his free throws, compared for Antetokounmpo’s 64.7 percent.
Nikola Jokic won after averaging a triple-double for January, with 24 points, 11.6 rebounds and a league-leading 11.3 assists per game. The Denver Nuggets had a solid 12-4 month, but were even better (10-2) with the two-time MVP on the floor. Jokic also shot a stunning 67.7 percent from the floor, and 53.8 percent from behind the arc. It’s his fifth career Player of the Month.
In his first month as a 38-year-old, LeBron James averaged 33.8 points in January, along with 9.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor. But the Lakers went only 8-5 with James, not quite as impressive as the Nuggets. Still, we expect James will end up on his hands and knees in disbelief that he didn’t win the award.
Damian Lillard averaged 34.5 points in January, including a 60-point game and a 50-pointers, but his Trail Blazers were just 6-9. Jaren Jackson Jr. was the best defensive player in the Western Conference in January, blocking 3.2 shots per game and making 41 percent of his threes on the other end. But his performance is overshadowed by a wrongheaded Reddit conspiracy theory about scorekeepers inflating his home statistics.
Jokic and Embiid are worthy winners, and sit first and second, respectively, in the newest Kia MVP Ladder as well. Embiid is still No. 2, but he can console himself with knowing that by finishing second to Jokic twice, he’s effectively been the two-time Eastern Conference MVP.
