5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
As loaded as the Boston Celtics are, it was always going to be difficult for any of their players to be real NBA MVP candidates. It's rare when a star on a super team wins the MVP award. Quite frankly, that's what the Celtics have been this season. Nevertheless, it's impossible to ignore how good Jayson Tatum has been this season for the East-leading Celtics. Through 20 games this season, Tatum is averaging 28 points, nine rebounds, and four assists per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If the Celtics are going to continue to dominate their way toward the top seed in the Eastern Conference, Tatum is going to be a big part of that. If they are going to finish the job and finally get over the hump and win a championship, Tatum is going to have to come up big when the Celtics need him most.
If that does happen, Tatum should finish somewhere near the top of the NBA MVP voting. The only concern I have about Tatum is that he isn't going to get a ton of first-place votes because of the amount of talent he has around him in Boston.