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    The most recent iteration of ESPN’s MVP straw poll is made available.

    Warriors News: ESPN releases the latest version of their MVP straw poll - Golden State Of Mind

    With this weekend’s NBA All-Star Break, the league will have completed half of its regular season. On Thursday, ESPN announced the results of their most recent MVP straw poll.

    Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry placed fourth in the first version of this poll released back in mid-December, however injuries have plagued his season since then — causing him to fall to ninth in the latest version with just a single fifth place vote.

    Topping the list is Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic who ESPN has as the favorite to win his third consecutive MVP – something that has only been accomplished by three players in NBA history (Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell).

    Via ESPN:

    Not only is Jokic averaging a triple-double — 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists — something only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook have done over the course of a full season in NBA history, but Denver is also sitting atop the Western Conference with the NBA’s third-best record.

    As a result, Jokic was the runaway leader in the second edition of ESPN’s NBA MVP Straw Poll of the 2022-23 season, registering 77 out of 100 first-place votes and finishing with 913 total points, putting him in prime position to make history at season’s end.

    Following Jokic in the poll were Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo (11 first-place votes, 552 total points), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (six first-place votes, 490 total points), Boston Celticsforward Jayson Tatum (five first-place votes, 410 total points) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (one first-place vote, 218 total points).

    Rounding out the poll are Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (8 total points), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (four), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (three), Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (one) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (one).

    Jokic’s stat-line speaks for itself as he is averaging a triple-double this season with 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists – especially remarkable coming from the center position. From a team perspective, Jokic has led Denver to the number one seed in the West and the number one offensive rating in the league (117.6) heading into the break.

    Although voter fatigue usually prevents superstars from winning consecutive MVPs — let alone three in a row – ESPN analyst Jalen Rose points out on The Draymond Green Show that Jokic seems to be on pace to do so anyways with yet another fantastic season.

    A tweet to end the week:

    Because of the injury to Curry, there will be no Warriors representatives participating in the events of All-Star Weekend. Instead, enjoy these highlights from last year’s All-Star Game when Curry won the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award after finishing with 50 points on 16 made three-pointers. Have a good weekend Dub Nation!

    Source: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com

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