Race to the MVP: Week 6 Edition
May 27, 2019
This is the year of the point guard.
Last season saw only one point guard (Mama Im Dat Man) finish among the five finalists for the MVP Award, with apologies to Radiant, who was a surprising omission despite being worthy of consideration for the league’s top honor.
That figures to change this time around. Not only are Mama and Radiant continuing to hold it down at the top, but three point guards occupy the top three spots for the first time this season in our bi-weekly Race to the MVP Rankings.
1. Mama Im Dat Man, Blazer5 Gaming
Regular-season stats: 23.0 PPG, 12.1 APG, 1.6 SPG
Previous rank: 2
After spending multiple weeks in the second position, Mama officially overtakes Radiant and ascends to the top spot. He has guided his squad to eight consecutive regular-season wins as Blazer5 sit just a game out of first place in the standings. Mama notched a pair of double-doubles in averaging 19.5 PPG and 11.0 APG in two Week 6 victories. He’s currently the league scoring leader and is just shy of the assists lead. Oh, and he’s already wrapped up the league’s trash-talk title.
2. Radiant, 76ers GC
Regular-season stats: 20.4 PPG, 9.1 APG, 1.4 SPG
Previous rank: 1
The guy who has led these rankings for the entire season takes a step back this week. His individual numbers are impressive, as is his leadership for a team that won THE TIPOFF and reached the finals of THE TURN. Yet 76ers GC’s regular season has been a mixed bag to this point as they hover just above .500. But all credit to Radiant, who overcame a slow start to rally his squad in stealing a win at the buzzer against Heat Check Gaming to salvage a 1-1 record in Week 6.
3. oFAB, Celtics Crossover Gaming
Regular-season stats: 22.2 PPG, 12.3 APG, 2.8 SPG
Previous rank: 4
Too much talk has been centered around Boston’s slow start to the regular season. What if I told you that Celtics Crossover is currently just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. Would you feel different about Fab’s candidacy? As far as value of one player to any individual team, there might be none greater than Fab. Heck, they lost by 23 points in the only game he missed this season. He has nearly identical offensive numbers to Mama, while boasting a superior tournament resume. I’m bullish on Fab being able to rally his squad into the playoff hunt down the stretch.
4. Arooks, Bucks Gaming
Regular-season stats: 22.0 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.0 SPG
Previous rank: 3
His immense value was on display in Week 6. With Bucks Gaming in the midst of a three-game losing skid, they faced a seemingly must-win situation to stop the bleeding. Arooks rose the challenge, scoring a team-high 22 points on six 3-pointers to go along with 8 assists in guiding his team to victory over Warriors Gaming Squad. Arooks has been near the top of the league’s scoring list for the entire season, currently ranking third overall.
5. Hotshot, Heat Check Gaming
Regular-season stats: 14.2 PPG, 14.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 3.0 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Previous rank: 6
He’s a threat to record a triple-double every time he touches the floor and has a legit argument as the best all-around big man in the league. Case in point, his statline from two games in Week 6: 12.5 PPG, 16.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 3.5 SPG. As good as he has been, his team surprisingly has hit a rough patch, dropping three straight games to fall out of the top-eight in the standings.
6. Bp, Kings Guard Gaming
Regular-season stats: 20.4 PPG, 7.1 APG, 1.6 SPG
Previous rank: Unranked
The third overall pick in this year’s draft entered the league with lofty expectations. He’s now firmly matching the hype as the key cog on a Kings Guard Gaming team that is riding a six-game winning streak and rising to fourth in the standings. Bp officially broke out in Week 5 when he dropped 41 points while setting a new league record with 11 3-pointers. His surge has lifted him to among the top-five scorers in the league.
7. OneWildWalnut, Blazer5 Gaming
Regular-season stats: 15.8 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 2.0 SPG
Previous rank: 5
The reigning MVP has seen his individual numbers take a slight hit in recent weeks. With Mama serving as the focal point of Blazer5’s offense this season, Walnut’s opportunities to shine have been more limited compared to last season. Nonetheless, his team continues to rack up the wins with him holding down the paint as he ranks third in the league in rebounds. His leadership and production will keep him in the discussion on one of the league’s top contenders.
8. PeteBeBallin, Mavs Gaming
Regular-season stats: 14 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Previous rank: Unranked
Who is the most valuable Mavs Gaming player? It’s not an easy answer given their 9-0 start to the season. As a team that gets contributions across multiple positions, a strong case can be made for one of Pete, Mo or Dimez, who’s been on the list in recent weeks as the offensive catalyst. But Pete’s consistent high-level play is simply too hard to ignore. The rookie big man is coming off a Week 6 in which he averaged 10.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG and 3.5 SPG over two wins. He’s also shooting 74.4%, second-best in the league.
9. Ramo, Pacers Gaming
Regular-season stats: 13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.3 APG 2.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Previous rank: 9
He’s not the team’s leading scorer–that title belongs to Swizurk–but on a squad that is as grit-n-grind as there is, Ramo embodies that best. He doesn’t necessarily put up huge scoring numbers, but he consistently does what’s needed to win on a team that’s lost just once in six regular-season games. Ramo went for a cool 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals in his last game.
10. Bsmoove, Warriors Gaming Squad
Regular-season stats: 20.4 PPG, 1.9 SPG
Previous rank: 10
Picking just ten guys for this list is a tall order. With a bunch of deserving candidates for the final spot, we’ll give the nod to BSmoove, who has supplied the offense this season for a dangerous WGS squad. He ranks among the league’s scoring leaders and is coming off a Week 6 in which he totaled 35 points over two outings.
This article represents the opinion of the writer and not of the league.