Game of Thrones: five stars chase the MVP in the NBA
We have a Top 5 of 2025-26 NBA MVP candidates headed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is with him?
The race towards NBA MVP 2025-26 It’s a matter of five. A quintet of notables who fight night after night to leave their teams high on the table. In a league that has gone through gross sins in the form of tanking, that has not yet found a concrete solution to load management, there are a series of players who have dedicated themselves to truly competing.
With the rule that requires players to participate in at least 65 games to access the prizes, with the obligation and danger that something like this entails, we will go in the form of a ranking towards the chosen one. Of course, this table is dynamic and must be understood like a movie. But we will have the photo today. That being said, the game of thrones is on.
Here we go.
5. Victor Wembanyama (23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 50.1% shooting)
Wembanyama fell in the MVP race after the extensive injury that kept him out from mid-November to December. Then, the San Antonio Spurs, with the wisdom that franchise usually has, took him little by little so that he regained his rhythm. And today we see the excellent results. Nobody has a magic ball, although one suspects that Wemby will be MVP in the future, but the truth is that today he is a few steps behind his competitors. He is a unique player, capable of doing everything. Threatening presence in attack and intimidating in defense. Fluid, flexible and multifunctional.
Wemby averages almost three blocks per game, deflects all shots, makes opponents uncomfortable and is a serious candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. It is worrying that he has already missed 14 games and could only be out three more to participate in the awards. Walk along the ledge. At only 22 years old, he is the man of the future for this League.
4. Jaylen Brown (29.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 48.2% shooting)
Brown took advantage of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tendon injury to show the world his true value. Beyond the fact that the Boston Celtics honored Red Auerbach in the current season with his competitiveness beyond the losses and departures, JB has been formidable. The offensive leader of a group that broke the odds and is today as a shooting guard for the Detroit Pistons. Brown averages almost 30 points per game, shouldered the responsibility of being the spearhead, and has also been decisive in defense.
He has a common problem with Cade Cunningham: turnovers (3.6 per appearance).
3. Cade Cunningham (25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 46% shooting)
Impressive season for the Pistons point guard, who went from small forward to mastermind with luxurious coldness and determination. His growth in playmaking and his ability to play in front of and with his back to the basket have made Detroit a contender to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. He combines perfectly with Jalen Duren and together they have led Detroit to lead the Eastern Conference. He has proven, in recent weeks, to be a two-way talent, especially with an unusual ability to set covers.
Cunningham’s kryptonite is losses. Almost four per game are a problem for an elite talent who usually has the ball in his hands a lot.
2. Nikola Jokic (28.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 57% shooting)
The best player in the world who may not be (again) MVP. Two stones stand in the way of the Joker: the first, that he has already been out 16 games due to injury and can only miss one more to be able to participate for the prizes. And the second is that the Denver Nuggets, hit hard by major injuries to Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Jokic himself, are fifth in the West, far from the leader Oklahoma City Thunder.
Beyond everything, Jokic remains the panopticon of basketball. The 360° genius. He leads the NBA in assists and rebounds, and is sixth overall in points converted. His percentage of 57% is very high, he plays facing the rim and also with his back in the low and high post. Perhaps his weakness is his defense. It costs him against faster rivals. He is the best of all, but in this specific award, for context, he once again has to be the escort.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 55% shooting)
The last regular season and Finals MVP missed 11 games due to injury and can only be out in six more to be able to compete for the award. It’s wonderful to see: the king of the middle distance. His performance was dazzling when he had to be on a team that leads the West (again) and that has had Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein at a dropper due to different injuries. Shai is second among NBA scorers, with more than 50% effectiveness, and he also continues to evolve daily in defense. The protagonist’s suit fits him well, he enjoys the clutch and he still remains an indecipherable theorem for defenses.
Roll out the red carpet: Gilgeous-Alexander is, once again, the well-deserved number 1 heading into the awards.
