Which NBA star had the best 2022? The Golden Basketball goes to…
Which NBA player won in 2022?
To answer that question, it’s time for my annual “Basketball of Gold” award, which, like soccer’s Ballon d’Or, considers performance during the NBA regular season and playoffs, as well as the international competition, distinguishing it from the regular season and the league. Finals MVP Awards.
The Golden Basketball 2022 run is one of our most exciting yet. 2021-22 Regular Season MVP, Nikola Jokicsaw his short hand Denver Nuggets eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2021 winnerhe got the unofficial title of best player in the world during the postseason despite his Milwaukee Bucks falling to the second round.
On the other hand, Stephen Curry of the champion Golden State Warriors eventually won Finals MVP honors, making the injury that sidelined him for the final 12 games of the regular season a distant memory, while Jayson Tatum from Boston Celtics he took his team to the finals.
A fifth superstar, Luka Doncic from Dallas Maverickscontinued to make his case for Golden Basketball until the end of the calendar year, posting a historic triple-double of 10 assists, 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
Who claims the crown this year? Let’s take a look.
Honorable Mentions
Perhaps the most dominant player in the 2022 postseason, Butler earned a vote for the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award despite his Heat exiting the series after Butler missed a 3 that could have sent to the finals. . Unfortunately, injuries continued to limit Butler’s regular season value as he played fewer than 60 games during the calendar year.
A runner-up in 2021, Durant looks poised to return to that level in 2023 as an early MVP contender. In between, though, Durant struggled in the opening round against the Celtics after dragging a limited Brooklyn team into the playoffs. Durant’s sub-40% shooting in a four-game sweep leaves him out of playoff contention.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
In a normal year, Embiid’s runner-up in MVP voting and high-scoring start in 2022-23 (leads NBA with 33.7 PPG, which would rank fourth since 1987-88) would make him a finalist. In this case, he wasn’t as good in the regular season as the contenders with shorter playoffs or in the playoffs as the ones he beat in the regular season.
It was an up and coming year for Morant, this time returning from injury 12 months ago. By leading the Grizzlies to the No. 2 seed and a hard-fought second-round loss to the eventual champion Warriors, Morant proved his fast start to 2021-22 was no fluke. At 23, he has a chance to become a fixture on the Golden Basketball roster.
The finalists
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Resume: First Team All-NBA, First Team All-Defense
Entering this season, Antetokounmpo finished atop ESPN’s #NBArank, confirming his status as the current best player in the league. No one has better combined consistent performance in both the regular season, including a third-place finish in 2021-22 MVP voting, and in the playoffs than Antetokounmpo, though the Bucks’ recent slide has put more attention on a modest decline in efficiency with a career-high 38% usage rate this season.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Summary: Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP
Only injuries held Curry back in 2022. The Warriors were tied for the second-best record in the NBA when he went down with a sprained foot in March, then went 6-7 the rest of the regular season. Curry returned at the start of the playoffs, first in a reserve role, and led Golden State back to a fourth championship after two years in the lottery. This time, Curry was recognized as Finals MVP, filling the one hole on his resume an all time great. Despite the Warriors’ struggles, Curry was a leading MVP candidate before suffering a dislocated shoulder that has sidelined him since Dec. 14.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Curriculum Vitae: All-NBA first team
After some spectacular performances in the first round outings against the LA Clippers the previous two years, Doncic finally had a chance to extend the playoff streak, leading the Mavericks to an upset of the top seed. Phoenix Suns en route to the conference finals. He was asked to do even more after the offseason loss of the guard Jalen BrunsonDoncic has increased his usage to a career-high 38% while also posting his best true shooting percentage ever.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Summary: MVP
Jokic outdid himself to win a second straight MVP, raising his scoring and rebounding averages to make up for the Nuggets playing without Jamal Murray i Michael Porter Jr. almost the entire 2021-22 season. That lack of depth cost Denver a five-game loss to Golden State in the opening round of the playoffs. With his return, Jokic’s scoring and rebounding are down this season, but he’s shooting a career-high 62% from the field and is threatening to average a triple-double while increasing his average d attendance at 9.5 per game.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Summary: Larry Bird’s All-NBA First Team Eastern Conference Finals MVP
As of New Year’s Day 2022, Tatum was shooting 33% from 3-point range and the Celtics were a disappointing 17-19. Then everything turned around. Boston led the league in wins during the 2022 schedule with nearly 10 more than any other team, including the playoffs. Tatum’s outstanding two-way game was at the center of it all. He has taken another step forward as a scorer this season, averaging a career-high 31.1 PPG, and is currently the slight favorite for MVP in Caesars Sportsbook.
Drum roll please…
The winner: Doncic
Certainly no NBA player did more to elevate his storied legacy in 2022 than Curry, making him the year’s winner in that regard. Beginning this process, I was inclined to choose him. At the risk of recent bias, I was leaning Doncic because of his relative health and value in the regular season.
Remember, Doncic got off to a slow start in 2021-22, so his first-team All-NBA appearance ahead of Curry, who was fourth in guard voting, largely reflected his performance in 2022. After Jan. 1, he passed Jokic for the NBA lead in wins over replacement player by my metric. Doncic is No. 1 so far this season by a wide margin.
Curry won Magic Johnson’s first Western Conference Finals MVP when his team outscored Doncic 4-1, but I think that result said more about their respective casts than the two superstars.
Doncic averaged 32 PPG in the series despite being held to 41.5 percent shooting by the Warriors, while Curry was one of four Golden State players to average at least 16 .4 PPG in a more balanced attack.
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