National Basketball Association

Herd Hierarchy: The top five NBA MVP candidates

Published Apr. 20, 2021 3:42 p.m. ET

For Colin Cowherd, the NBA's Most Valuable Player award isn't quite living up to its billing.

"We don't give valuable. We just go stats and stories," Cowherd said on Tuesday's episode of "The Herd."

With that in mind, Cowherd put forth his top five NBA MVP candidates in a special edition of his "Herd Hierarchy" segment. Here's what he came up with, with all stats prior to Tuesday's matchups and all odds via FOX Bet.

5. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

2021 stats: 41 games played | 25.4 PPG | 7.9 APG | 7.9 RPG

MVP odds: +5000

Colin's thoughts: "The Lakers have not beaten a team that's over .500 that's fully stocked since [LeBron James] left. ... I don't care that he took 25% of the games off. [With James] not playing, they have plummeted as a franchise. They are a .500 team that can't beat good teams."

4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

2021 stats: 50 games played | 31.4 PPG | 5.9 APG | 5.5 RPG

MVP odds: +2000

Colin's thoughts: "It's not a very good [Golden State Warriors] team — until [Stephen Curry] plays. And then his numbers this year are better than his MVP seasons before."

3. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

021 stats: 41 games played | 21.4 PPG | 7.2 APG | 7.2 RPG

MVP odds: +50000

Colin's thoughts: "He is a 500-to-1 shot to win it, Jimmy Butler. This is a young [Heat] team, bordering sometimes on immature. ... He has to babysit some of these guys. ... They're 6-11 in the East when he doesn't play, 24-17 when he does."

2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

2021 stats: 57 games played | 26.4 PPG | 8.8 APG | 11.1 RPG

MVP odds: -500

Colin's thoughts: "[Nikola Jokic] is the best passing big man since Bill Walton. He gets so many players on this [Nuggets] team open looks and good looks. Because you often have to double him, he's the classic value-additive. He makes players better."

1. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns

2021 stats: 56 games played | 15.7 PPG | 8.8 APG | 4.6 RPG

MVP odds: +15000

Colin's thoughts: "The Suns have the second-best record in the NBA. Now do you understand that for 11 years, in a sport where almost everybody makes the playoffs, they were a tire fire? ... Next to LeBron James, nobody in the NBA has the ability to change your basketball team's win/loss standings ⁠— nobody except Chris Paul."

For Cowherd's full breakdown, check out the video below: