{"id":674887,"date":"2026-03-23T17:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/674887\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:37:18","slug":"nba-mvp-rankings-luka-doncic-is-rising-but-can-anyone-take-the-trophy-from-shai-gilgeous-alexander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/674887\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA MVP rankings: Luka Don\u010di\u0107 is rising, but can anyone take the trophy from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have examined the NBA’s MVP race in great<\/a> detail<\/a> over the last few weeks, but now it is high time for another look at this year\u2019s candidates.<\/p>\n

The list is not so dissimilar to our top candidates since the regular season\u2019s one-third mark<\/a>, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Joki\u0107, Jalen Brunson, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Victor Wembanyama \u2014 in that order \u2014 were our leading candidates. It is just a bit jumbled now, and with Cade Cunningham in Brunson\u2019s stead as the Eastern Conference\u2019s sole representative on this ballot. His Detroit Pistons, who hold a four-game lead for the No. 1 seed, earned him that right.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season<\/a><\/p>\n

It is weird now how the MVP ballot reflects a position-less All-NBA First Team. Will any of the 100 voters\u2019 top-five MVP candidates look different from their All-NBA First Team? I suppose it is possible. It would not be here, if I had a vote, because of course the five most valuable players should make up your position-less All-NBA First Team.<\/p>\n

That is, of course, if they qualify for the NBA\u2019s 65-game rule<\/a>, which requires players to participate in that many games in order to be considered for end-of-season awards.<\/p>\n

\"(Bruno<\/p>\n

(Bruno Rouby\/Yahoo Sports Illustration)<\/p>\n

Kawhi Leonard can miss only one more game before he is disqualified. He may not appear on anyone\u2019s MVP ballot, since his Los Angeles Clippers are below .500, but his production should absolutely be in play for a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Cunningham\u2019s MVP case is the one that is in most danger. He has missed nine games, and he is expected to miss at least the next six with a collapsed lung. To rush him back from that injury, just to qualify for end-of-year awards<\/a>, might be a mistake.<\/p>\n

Cunningham\u2019s absence could leave the door open for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown to make his way onto a ballot. Before we reveal too much, our MVP rankings \u2026<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics; Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n

5. Luka Don\u010di\u0107, Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 has played his way into this conversation over the Lakers\u2019 nine-game winning streak. Over that span, he has averaged a 40-8-7 on a 63.6 true shooting percentage.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

On the season, Don\u010di\u0107 is now averaging a 33-8-8 on better than 60% true shooting. Nobody attempts more shots (22.7), 3-pointers (10.8) or free throws (10.3) a night. His usage rate (37.9%), obviously, leads the league. The Lakers score 119.1 points per 100 possessions, similar to the league\u2019s second-best offense, when he is on the court.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Los Angeles also allows 115.5 points per 100 possessions \u2014 a number that approaches the NBA\u2019s bottom-10 defensive ratings \u2014\u00a0when he takes the floor. That figure is far better (110.1 points allowed per 100 possessions) over the past nine games, where Don\u010di\u0107 has also improved<\/a> on that end. If he can sustain that effort over the course of a full season, the 27-year-old may yet one day get his MVP.<\/p>\n

4. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n

Recency bias may suggest that Don\u010di\u0107 belongs higher on this list, but remember: The Pistons perform like one of the league\u2019s few title favorites<\/a>, along with Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s Thunder and Wembanyama\u2019s Spurs, when Cunningham is in the lineup.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Detroit is 44-17 when the former No. 1 overall pick takes the court, a 59-win pace. Cunningham is not the team\u2019s best defender, though he is one piece of an outfit that rates as the league\u2019s second-best defense. He is also the sole creator for an offense that scores 119.7 points per 100 possessions (a top-two figure) when he\u2019s on the floor.<\/p>\n

Cunningham\u2019s 24.5 points per game rank 13th in the NBA on decent efficiency (56.7 true shooting percentage). He could improve in that regard. But his 9.9 assists a night have generated more points (1,548) than anyone else, including Joki\u0107, even as Detroit starts two defense-first non-shooters (Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson).<\/p>\n

3. Nikola Joki\u0107, Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n

Joki\u0107 is enjoying a typical Joki\u0107 season, which is to say: The numbers are off the charts. He is averaging a triple-double, leading the league in both rebounds (12.6) and assists (10.6) per game. Needless to say, nobody has ever done that, especially not while averaging 28 points per game on league-leading efficiency (67.6 TS%).<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

There is little doubt he is the game\u2019s most impactful offensive player. The Nuggets own the NBA\u2019s best offensive rating (120.2), and they are even better, scoring 125.1 points per 100 possessions, when Joki\u0107 is on the floor. That is just insane efficiency.<\/p>\n

It is on the defensive end of the floor where Joki\u0107\u2019s MVP argument suffers. He is the anchor of the league\u2019s 21st-rated defense, though it is a little bit better, allowing 114.7 points per 100 possessions (a middling figure), when he is actually on the court.<\/p>\n

It does not help that his Nuggets have essentially played .500 ball since Christmas. Even as an injury-plagued roster has regained some of its health, Denver remains an inconsistent team, despite its superior offense, and that comes with porous defense.<\/p>\n

2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n

The Spurs have climbed within three games of the Thunder for the West\u2019s No. 1 seed, and that is Wembanyama\u2019s key to moving into the top spot on these rankings. If San Antonio can catch Oklahoma City, there is a legitimate case to be made for Wemby.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

After all, he is the NBA\u2019s most dominant defensive force. He is as impactful on that end as anyone is on offense. The Spurs allow 103.7 points per 100 possessions, more than two points better than OKC\u2019s league-leading defense,\u00a0when Wembanyama is on the court. San Antonio is a middling defensive outfit when Wemby is on the bench.<\/p>\n

Offensively, the Spurs score 119.9 points per 100 possessions, something like the league\u2019s second-best unit, whenever Wembanyama is on the floor. He is the NBA\u2019s 13th-most impactful player offensively, according to Dunks and Threes\u2019 Estimated Plus-Minus<\/a>, trailing only Joki\u0107, Gilgeous-Alexander, Don\u010di\u0107 and 10 other dynamos.<\/p>\n

There is a real case to be made that a 22-year-old 7-foot-5 (7-foot-7?) phenom is already the NBA\u2019s best player, depending on how much you weigh defense against offense, though the standings do not reflect it. Yet. The Spurs are 43-13 when Wemby is in the lineup, a 63-win pace. You have to be better than that to catch the Thunder.<\/p>\n

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n

Someone has to take the MVP trophy from Gilgeous-Alexander, who edged Joki\u0107 for the regular-season award last season, and then added a Finals MVP honor to his collection en route to his first-ever championship.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Nobody has taken it from him. Not yet.<\/p>\n

The Thunder once again own the league\u2019s best record \u2014\u00a0by three full games over Wembanyama\u2019s Spurs. They operate better than the NBA\u2019s best offense, scoring 120.4 points per 100 possessions, and better than its best defense, allowing 106 points per 100 possessions, when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the court for them.<\/p>\n

When SGA is off the floor, Oklahoma City still performs like a 54-win team, owning the NBA\u2019s top defense, allowing 105.2 points per 100 possessions, but its offense drops to one of the league\u2019s worst outfits, scoring 110 points per 100 possessions.<\/p>\n

That could be a strike against Gilgeous-Alexander in the right argument. But we should measure him against what the Thunder look like with him on the court, not how good they are when he is not playing, and they look like a juggernaut with him.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Besides, SGA is averaging 31.6 points per game on 66.5% true shooting. Only one other guard has ever scored 30-plus points a night on better shooting efficiency: Stephen Curry in his unanimous MVP campaign for the 73-win Warriors in 2016.<\/p>\n

In other words, Gilgeous-Alexander is enjoying one of the best offensive seasons ever for a guard, while serving as a cog on the league\u2019s best defense, for the NBA\u2019s best team. Until someone can match those credentials, the award is SGA\u2019s to lose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We have examined the NBA’s MVP race in great detail over the last few weeks, but now it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[13811,375,1026,7,75,909,193,187,188,864,288,912,78,529,251,135,150,368,152,6,191,253,378,475,969,209,534,573,693,255],"class_list":["post-674887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-all-nba-first-team","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-ausar-thompson","tag-basketball","tag-boston-celtics","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-donovan-mitchell","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-jalen-duren","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-luka-doncic","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-okc","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-san-antonio","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","tag-spurs","tag-stephen-curry","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-warriors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}