Star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has moved into the NBA’s 2025-26 Kia Race To The MVP Ladder’s fifth place spot this week, a week after winning the league’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the fifth time in his career. With Brown one of the main forces helping to power his Celtics to a home-court record in the East while scoring close to 30 points per game (29.1 to be exact, along with 6.1 rebounds, a career-high 4.8 assists, and 1.1 rebounds per game), the Georgia native getting recognized on the Kia MVP ladder as one of the five players best-positioned to win the 2026 Most Valuable Player award makes sense.

Just ahead of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and just behind Detroit Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham, Brown lands at fifth after jumping up from No. 10 overall. “He’s riding a rocket up the Ladder, moving five spots this week, the largest leap of anyone this season,” writes NBA Dot Com’s Shaun Powell.

TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 7: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics calls out to teammates during the first half of their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 7, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

TORONTO, CANADA – DECEMBER 7: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics calls out to teammates during the first half of their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 7, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

“And it’s all because Brown is not only on pace to average a career high in scoring and playing the best stretch of basketball in his career — the 2024 NBA Finals would like a word, though — as he has done the unexpected and is pulling the Celtics up with him,” he adds.

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“Which means, he’s doing Jayson Tatum’s job as well as Tatum, at least for the moment. Over the last six games, Brown has looked every bit like a top-tier player, averaging 32 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 6.3 apg.”

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jaylen Brown now at 5th in NBA MVP ladder with Celtics