Come on now Perk, I don’t want to fight with you Perk" - Zach Lowe goes in on Kendrick Perkins' MVP list
Zach Lowe & Kendrick Perkins
@ESPN/Youtube
We may only be a quarter into the new NBA season, but the league MVP race is already starting to heat up.
As the leading candidates continue to put their best case forward night in and night out, it's up to the NBA media to decide who should take home the award come season's end.
Understandably, every NBA talk show in America is already dissecting the race and providing their top-5 frontrunners.
Lowe cannot believe Perkins' choices
ESPN's "NBA Today" took their turn yesterday, as panel members Zach Lowe and Kendrick Perkins gave their lists.
Anticipation was there wouldn't be any surprises; however, Lowe was blown away that Perkins had Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton ahead of Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.
"I love Tyrese Haliburton Perk, he's amazing, but come on now Perk. I know the Warriors are like a game behind the Pacers in the standings, but you're going to put Tyrese Haliburton above Steph Curry in the MVP rankings because they're a game or two ahead of the Warriors in the standings? Have you seen Steph Curry's numbers? I don't want to fight with you Perk it's Friday." Lowe proclaimed.
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Is Haliburton worthy?
Lowe has a point, considering Curry is averaging an astounding 31.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Not to mention connecting on a sizzling 43% of his attempts beyond the arc.
Be that as it may, it's not crazy to have Haliburton as part of these early conversations. After all, the Pacers have surprised most and sit 5th in the Eastern Conference standings at 12-10. Coming off a three-game stretch in which Haliburton dished 40 assists and 0 turnovers, it's not insane to mention his name as an MVP candidate.
At a minimum, it looks like the 22-year-old is destined for an All-Star berth, as he's currently leading the league in assists at just under 11 dimes per game.
Perkins' top-five list was rounded out by Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Phoenix Suns' Devin Book, and Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant.
All worthy names; the only debatable omissions would be Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic.
The season is still young
Due to the unclear criteria that the MVP award is judged on, every season, the debates rage away on who the media believe should take home the award. Often heavily subjective and opinion-based, voters' personal perspectives will always be the biggest factor in how they fill out their ballot after 82 regular season games.
Lucky for them, three-quarters of the season is still left to play, and perhaps a leading candidate will separate himself from the rest of the pack to make their lives easier come April.
