It still sort of feels like the NBA season has just begun, but in reality, we’re now over a quarter of the way into the season, and the sample size is actually getting pretty meaningful and indicative. So, it’s fairly noteworthy that the most recent NBA.com MVP ladder has Nikola Jokic leading the way over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shaun Powell crafts this list each week of the season, and things are taking form and steadying at the top with Jokic leading the way, SGA right on his heels, and Luka Doncic not far behind. It appears to be a three-horse race with most of the usual suspects.
The argument for Jokic is pretty elementary; he’s averaging a triple-double while putting up 29.5 points per game, which is top 5 in the NBA. He leads the league in assists and rebounds, and he has been preposterously efficient, shooting over 60% from the floor.
He’s doing all that while leading the Nuggets to their best start in franchise history at 18-6, good for second place in a loaded Western Conference, despite losing two key starters to injuries in Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun.
His case is rock solid, but we’ve seen him have a seemingly rock-solid case in the past that didn’t ultimately get the job done. He has lost a couple of MVP awards, notably to Joel Embiid in 2023 and SGA last season, that it seemed like he deserved, but lost out, perhaps due to things outside of his control, like voter fatigue and legacy, but maybe this year will be different.
Unseating SGA going to be extremely difficult
Ultimately, this likely comes down to Jokic and Shai, and the problem for Jokic is that the Thunder are an absolute juggernaut, cruising towards NBA records. He has even gone up a level from last year, when he won the award for the first time and led OKC to their first title, and his consistency never seems to wane at all.
He leads the league in scoring, putting up better numbers than last season, and the Thunder have a ridiculous 24-1 record to start the season. He has scored over 20 points in every single game, and he has done most of it without his best co-star, Jalen Williams.
He also has a chance to add another bullet to his resume by possibly winning the Emirates NBA Cup and the MVP of that tournament later this week. The team seems almost unstoppable, and Gilgeous-Aelxander feels all but inevitable.
It’s going to take a herculean effort by Jokic, and realistically, it may even require Jamal Murray to play a little bit worse (to prop up Joker even more), but barring a staggering drop off by SGA and the Thunder, he’s destined for a repeat.