Kevin Durant tabbed favorite to win MVP, with LeBron way down the list

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Giannis Antetokounmpo might currently sit alone atop the NBA totem pole, but is that reign coming to an end soon?

The Milwaukee Bucks forward is the reigning NBA Finals MVP and has won two of the last three regular-season MVP awards, with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic taking it in 2021. 

But neither one appears to be the favorite to bring the award home in 2022.

In fact, according to a poll recently conducted by a group of panelists for ESPN, the favorite for the 2022 NBA MVP is the man Antetokounmpo eliminated on his way to his first title – Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.

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According to the poll, Durant received 38.9% of the first-place votes, leading all players. Antetokounmpo was second with 33.3%.

It could come as a surprise that Durant is seen as the favorite based on the fact he played in just 32 regular-season games last season, after missing all of the 2019-2020 season while recovering from a torn Achilles.

But given his play in the postseason – in which he averaged 34.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.4% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range – Durant certainly has a case as the league's best player.

If Durant were to carry over that positive momentum from the postseason, on top of winning his third Olympic Gold medal this past summer, Durant could find himself winning his second career MVP award.

While Durant's place atop the poll is eye-opening, what might be an even bigger surprise is four-time MVP LeBron James finishing seventh in the poll and not receiving a single first-place vote.

During his three seasons as a member of the Lakers, James has finished 11th, second, and 13th in MVP voting, respectively.

In 2019 and 2021, the two seasons James finished outside of the top 10 in voting, he missed 27 games each season due to groin and ankle injuries.

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When it comes to Durant and James, Skip Bayless believes the poll will be an accurate forecast of what is to come this NBA season. In fact, he believes James has a teammate who should be ranked higher than he is.

"I'm looking and I'm saying there’s no A.D. [Anthony Davis] above LeBron," said Bayless. "And I'm thinking he shouldn't be above A.D. for MVP."

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Davis, much like James, battled through an injury-marred 2020-2021 season but is regarded as one of the best players in the NBA.

In his first season with the Lakers in 2019-2020, Davis finished sixth in MVP voting, leading the Lakers in scoring in the regular season while helping them to a championship.

As for James' placement in the voting, Shannon Sharpe doesn't see any point in making a case for James' greatness, seeing as how he has already reached uncharted territory with his play this late into his career.

"No one else in Year 19 can say they were at this level," said Sharpe.

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Durant and James are the players that have defined a generation of NBA basketball, and with both vying for league supremacy as the leaders of two star-studded contenders, it is only right they potentially battle for one more MVP award.

May the best man win.

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