Jayson Tatum finishes 4th in final NBA MVP straw poll

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Nikola Jokić, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the three players who were ranked head of Jayson Tatum in ESPN's final 'straw poll' for the NBA's MVP award. So, naturally, Tatum being fourth once again sparked the debate on where he ranks in the league.

Those who believe that Tatum is the NBA's best and that he's been unfairly considered lesser by the league because he has such a strong team around him, will probably use this rating as another example of the league underrating him.

But, do the numbers indicate that the league is holding his teammates against him, or is Tatum fairly rated as the league's fourth-best player?

He received no votes for the first or second player on the 100 name list, but received a total of 97 votes for the third, fourth, and fifth-best player. Statistically, he's averaged 27.1 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. Compared to the three guys ahead of him, he has the fewest points and assists, and the second-fewest rebounds -- he has more than SGA, who is a guard.

Donovan Mitchell, who was fifth on the list, is behind Tatum in all those statistical categories, so it seems like he's accurately rated at fourth. It may be true that Tatum has more talent around him who also put up numbers, but that's difficult for a voter to quantify.

At the end of the day, the numbers are the most impartial way to vote, and as good as he is, compared to the three guys ahead of him Tatum falls short.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.