2024 NBA MVP Ladder: Jayson Tatum’s already unrealistic case dwindles after awful week in crunch time

There are just about five weeks left in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season, but the MVP race is far from over. With a playoff and seeding push well underway, we are seeing a lot of high-caliber basketball from some of the biggest stars in the league. Nikola Jokic continues to do his thing in Denver. The same can be said for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.

One person that is probably fading is the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

This is by no means meant as a harsh criticism of the Celtics’ star, but Tatum’s most recent week probably cemented him out of any chance at the MVP. As a No. 1 NBA alpha, you cannot let your team be outscored by Dean Wade by himself in a crushing loss in Cleveland. And when the Nuggets ratchet up the intensity for a playoff-caliber game in Denver, you can’t score just 15 points, even missing what could’ve been a game-winning shot in the final minute. Everyone else showed up for a potential Finals preview. Tatum didn’t.

There’s something to be said about how Tatum has helped the Celtics pace ahead of the rest of the league all year. But even beyond the advanced stats that favor his more valuable peers, beating heavyweights when your team needs you to perform matters in order to capture the MVP. Tatum just doesn’t have that on his resume.

Let’s take a look at the latest MVP ladder while we charge headfirst into mid-March.

All odds courtesy of DraftKings.