Lakers superstar sits atop latest NBA MVP ladder amid scorching start

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis has gotten the recognition he rightfully deserves for his hot start to the 2024-25 NBA season.

Lakers' Anthony Davis comes out on top in latest NBA MVP ladder

Davis was ranked No. 1 overall on the NBA's latest MVP ladder for the work he's put in through his first seven games of the year. The 13-year veteran is currently leading the league in scoring with 32.6 points per game. He's averaging a double-double with 11.6 rebounds a night.

The Kentucky product led the Lakers to a 4-3 record before going down with plantar fasciitis after their loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Los Angeles since suffered a 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in their last outing, proving the resounding impact that Davis has had on their winning ways.

Davis got the nod over 4 elite MVP candidates

Davis came in ahead of Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum (No. 2), Denver Nuggets reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic (No. 3), Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 4), and Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell.

Tatum is also averaging north of 30 PPG with 30.2 PPG for the 7-2 Celtics, while Jokic is the only player in the league putting up a triple-double to the tune of 28.8 PPG, 13.5 RPG and 11 APG. Gilgeous-Alexander is spearheading the league's best overall team on both ends of the floor, while Mitchell has lifted the Cavaliers to a 9-0 start as the only undefeated team remaining in the Association.

Davis has a real chance to take home his first career MVP

Yet for all of this, Davis has shone above his peers. It'd be quite the challenge to find a player who can protect the rim and play perimeter defense like a Defensive Player of the Year while getting buckets efficiently like a scoring champion and leading his team in an exemplary fashion the way the Illinois native is.