AD is the engine that makes San Antonio run.  Without him they are already looking to move players out.  Embiid can't do it all alone.  AD shoots an incredible percentage from everywhere on the floor, pulls down rebounds, blocks, steals and assists, I don't know what this guy can't do.  He may drop out of this race if he sits out much more, but right now he's in the thick of it.

Brooklyn was 3-1 last week and DeMar leads them in scoring almost every night even with Boogie on the roster.  Being able to average 30 points a game when there are so many options on the roster to pass to is impressive.  He is incredibly efficient for a shooting guard and that makes him invaluable.  Regardless of all this, Brooklyn is trending up and may fight back to a #1 seed now.

Atlanta is having a magical year, and bringing in Butler is one of the best trades of the year/offseason.  He has turned the franchise into a contender, even if they have slipped of late.  He's missed some games due to injury, and it's shown for Atlanta.  Jimmy is a true star, and makes the Hawks a great team.  His stats are impressive as are all guys on the list, but his real contribution is the turnaround of the Hawks.

Hard to to not vote for LeBron every year.  His team has faltered a little without him, showing just how important he is.  Not much to add to this as he's been sitting out for awhile.  If he comes back and dominates like he's used to and gets the Cavs back on top, he will be a top MVP candidate again.

Curry has Chicago in contention for a playoff spot, and really they aren't that far out of holding a home playoff game.  The Splash brothers are as always one of the best backcourts in the league.  Curry is firing it up from anywhere on the floor, and STILL hasn't missed a free throw all season!  That's gotta be worth your vote!

OKC is climbing back up the standings, obviously Kawhi is a big reason for this.  He's playing great, and again, as with most other candidates, his stats are amazing.  OKC is right there for the top spot in the West, and that's probably what it's going to take for him to win this award.  His defense alone should put him on the top of your list.

The Bucks have won 10 straight, and are back on top of the East, Giannis is playing out of his mind, and everything about him screams MVP.  He's the best player on the best team and he's putting up insane stats.  In this writer's opinion, he's the front runner right now with LeBron out.

Dallas are right there for the top record in the West, only 2 games behind the Clippers.  Westbrook is always amazing and dynamic, and having a really solid front court to help him is what's make this Dallas engine go.  As expected, he's averaging as close to a triple double as you will see in the NLL.  Great player, and if Dallas pulls off the #1, he should be near the top of your list.

OKC is climbing back up the standings, obviously Kawhi is a big reason for this.  He's playing great, and again, as with most other candidates, his stats are amazing.  OKC is right there for the top spot in the West, and that's probably what it's going to take for him to win this award.  His defense alone should put him on the top of your list.

Durant is the shining star of Boston, keeping them in the playoff race all alone.  He's leading the league in scoring by a wide margin and averaged almost 50ppg this week!  OMG, this dude is amazing.  There are pretty much no flaws in his game, he's a front runner because of his scoring alone.

Philly is only 3 games out of 1st place, and Lillard is the engine that makes them go.  Even though PG13 is having a great year, and Gobert is awesome obviously, Lillard is the guy they look to at the end of the game to take the big shot.  If Philly can pull of a top seed in the East, this guy might get my vote.