NBA Week 8 Takeaways

NBA Cup Finals reaction and more

NBA Cup Final Reaction

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder:
MIL wins 97-81

It was an uncharacteristically low-scoring game for these two volatile and explosive offenses. Giannis was again sensational, putting up 26/19/10 as well as locking down defensively with 2 steals and 3 blocks. Lillard was also valuable with 23 points and 5 three-pointers. On the other side, Shai performed well, totaling 21/4/2. However, for a team like OKC, which is so reliant on SGA, this sort of performance won’t win many games. Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein also impressed—Williams with 18 and Hartenstein with 16/12.

Ultimately for the Thunder, it wasn’t a good night shooting the ball, as they averaged a disappointing 33.7% from the field and a shocking 15.6% from three. This, coupled with the Bucks’ size on the interior and all-around smothering defense, proved an insurmountable task for the Thunder.

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Unpacking the MVP Race

As Week 8 comes to a close, Nikola Jokic is once again the leader in MVP voting, followed closely by Shai, Tatum, and Giannis. A fascinating issue within this year's MVP race is the idea of team record and its effect on MVP winners. Last year, Jokic deserved to win MVP. However, a major impediment to Luka Doncic’s chances for third place was his team's record. Doncic averaged 34/10/9 compared to Nikola Jokic’s average of 26/12/9. The defining characteristic that separated these two players was their team record, with Jokic and the Nuggets ending the season 7 games ahead of Luka and the Mavericks.

This year, the script has been flipped. Players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum are MVP candidates on teams with impressive records. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets sit at 14-11, yet the Serbian still leads all candidates in weekly voting.

However, the most accurate metric for determining the MVP award can be found in the Player Efficiency Rating (PER). John Hollinger’s PER is a player evaluation metric that combines all of a player's contributions into one number. By using this method, the statistics revealed are emblematic of a player’s complete court presence rather than simply box score performance.

According to this system, Jokic was the clear winner last season, with a score of 31.26—the next closest being Giannis with 30.14. However, this season, according to Hollinger, Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently the most valuable player, with a score of 31.96, followed by Jokic at 31.94, Shai at 28.53, and Tatum in 13th place with 23. There are a few glaring inconsistencies within this system—such as Banchero being listed in 7th place despite having played only 5 games. However, it encapsulates a more complete portrayal of a player’s value to their team.

Ultimately, this is an effective metric that should arguably be the foundation for MVP voting. Its ability to emphasise a player's value while somewhat disregarding a lackluster team record is what the award should be centred around.

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Karl-Anthony Towns’ Revenge Game

For the first time since being traded this past October, Karl-Anthony Towns returned to Minnesota alongside the new Knicks outfit, and he did not disappoint. KAT exploded for 32 points and 20 rebounds and guided the Knicks to an important victory.

For KAT, however, this game clearly meant much more. He approached it with an intensity we haven’t seen from him this season—and possibly ever. He was extremely passionate, physical, and unavoidable. KAT remains adamant that there is no animosity between him and the Timberwolves, but this performance would indicate that his return meant a little bit more than just 1 of 82.