Where does Adebayo rank among MVP hopefulls?
It's been established that Adebayo belongs in the MVP race, but where does he belong on the ladder?
Michael's list goes as follows: Jokic, Luka, Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis. These rankings are more than fair, as all 10 of these players have been playing at an elite level.
Adebayo deserves higher than ninth and should jump over both Haliburton and Maxey. Seven is a comfortable spot for Adebayo as the top six have their teams ahead of Miami's in the standings and their numbers jump out of the box score. Adebayo gets the nod due to the injuries and inconsistencies around him, and when things were looking bleak early at 1-4, he drove them to the top of the East.
He's gone head-to-head with Defensive Player of the Year candidates and winners dominating the box score. Whether it be the 30-11 game against Jaren Jackson Jr. or the 22-point-19-rebound-10-assist game vs Anthony Davis. He dominated Clint Capela who usually gives him problems, with a 26-point and 17 rebound game. He also silenced the Victor Wembanyama hype with a 24-point and 11-rebound performance. And these are just the offensive numbers.
It'll be interesting to see if he can keep up this MVP campaign as the roster is slowly coming together and getting healthier. It's been a pleasure to see the offensive and the already unfathomable defensive jump that he's taken so far into the season.
If Bam keeps this up, he'll only become a bigger part of the MVP conversation.