Who is the 5th best player in the NBA next season?

[The Real Dalic]

No Brunson, Cade, Paolo, or AD while having old and injured players is pretty crazy.

[iggymcfrack]

lol sure thing. Or it would simply take actually watching games and understanding that the MVP voting isnt voting for who the best player is and that PO results are team driven.

But you continue on with these outstanding rebuttals.

Clearly RealGM finest.

Sent from my SM-S918U using RealGM mobile app

The MVP is an award for who had the best regular season. The Bucks’ playoff results in 2024 were driven by Giannis missing the playoffs injuries and their playoff results in 2023 were driven by him getting hurt in the first round and playing terrible.

You can keep saying “oh that argument isn’t very decisive, that argument isn’t very decisive”, but no matter what criteria you use its clear that Giannis hasn’t been a top 2 player in the league since at least 2022.

BPM: not since 2022
WS: not since 2022
POY voting: not since 2021
MVP voting: not since 2020
xRAPM: not since 2020

ever season but Jokic this year
If you disagree, tell me which one of these players Giannis had a better season than:

2025 Jokic
2025 SGA
2024 Jokic
2024 SGA
2023 Jokic
2023 Embiid

Take whichever one you think you have the best argument against and we’ll compare them side by side. I’m not going to write out all the stats for 3 players one every season, but Giannis isn’t going to be close to any of these seasons.

all of them except for 2025 jokic

2024 SGA is by far the weakest and not even remotely a discussion if you wanna pick just one tho

Taking Giannis over Jokic the year Joker led every advanced stat during the regular season and won FMVP while Giannis lost in the 1st round as a 1 seed with a 2.0 playoff BPM is so hilarious that I can’t tell if you’re a stan or a troll, but sure let’s compare Giannis to SGA in 2024:

SGA (RS): .275 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 11.9 net rating, +11.1 on/off, led league in EPM (can’t find exact numbers without subscription)

Giannis (RS): .246 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 6.2 net rating, +10.0 on/off, was def behind Jokic and SGA at least in EPM

SGA (PS): .233 WS/48, 9.2 BPM, 5.6 net rating, -2.2 on/off

Giannis (PS): missed entire playoffs with his 4th major playoff injury in a 5 year span

MVP voting: SGA 2nd with 55/99 top 2 votes, Giannis 4th with 2/99 top 2 votes

POY voting: SGA 3rd with 12/17 top 2 votes, Giannis tied for 6th with 0/17 top 2 votes

Does that seem close to you? It doesn’t seem close to me at all. It seems like SGA blows him away.

[Walmart]

It's Edwards. Back-to-back WCF appearances.

[JShuttlesworth]

There are some horrific takes in this thread

[JonHeist]

Spoiler:

The MVP is an award for who had the best regular season. The Bucks’ playoff results in 2024 were driven by Giannis missing the playoffs injuries and their playoff results in 2023 were driven by him getting hurt in the first round and playing terrible.

You can keep saying “oh that argument isn’t very decisive, that argument isn’t very decisive”, but no matter what criteria you use its clear that Giannis hasn’t been a top 2 player in the league since at least 2022.

BPM: not since 2022
WS: not since 2022
POY voting: not since 2021
MVP voting: not since 2020
xRAPM: not since 2020

ever season but Jokic this year
If you disagree, tell me which one of these players Giannis had a better season than:

2025 Jokic
2025 SGA
2024 Jokic
2024 SGA
2023 Jokic
2023 Embiid

Take whichever one you think you have the best argument against and we’ll compare them side by side. I’m not going to write out all the stats for 3 players one every season, but Giannis isn’t going to be close to any of these seasons.

all of them except for 2025 jokic

2024 SGA is by far the weakest and not even remotely a discussion if you wanna pick just one tho

Taking Giannis over Jokic the year Joker led every advanced stat during the regular season and won FMVP while Giannis lost in the 1st round as a 1 seed with a 2.0 playoff BPM is so hilarious that I can’t tell if you’re a stan or a troll, but sure let’s compare Giannis to SGA in 2024:

SGA (RS): .275 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 11.9 net rating, +11.1 on/off, led league in EPM (can’t find exact numbers without subscription)

Giannis (RS): .246 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 6.2 net rating, +10.0 on/off, was def behind Jokic and SGA at least in EPM

SGA (PS): .233 WS/48, 9.2 BPM, 5.6 net rating, -2.2 on/off

Giannis (PS): missed entire playoffs with his 4th major playoff injury in a 5 year span

MVP voting: SGA 2nd with 55/99 top 2 votes, Giannis 4th with 2/99 top 2 votes

POY voting: SGA 3rd with 12/17 top 2 votes, Giannis tied for 6th with 0/17 top 2 votes

Does that seem close to you? It doesn’t seem close to me at all. It seems like SGA blows him away.

wow you really love advanced stats

please try learning anything else about the sport tho


it's really cute how this discussion began with you saying it was a forgone conclusion that Wemby would leap Giannis next season

and now you're using advanced stats and playoff performance and injuries to try to justify giannis not being top 2

meanwhile wemby's playoff success and advanced stats and injury risk are all much worse than giannis'

[iggymcfrack]

Spoiler:

all of them except for 2025 jokic

2024 SGA is by far the weakest and not even remotely a discussion if you wanna pick just one tho

Taking Giannis over Jokic the year Joker led every advanced stat during the regular season and won FMVP while Giannis lost in the 1st round as a 1 seed with a 2.0 playoff BPM is so hilarious that I can’t tell if you’re a stan or a troll, but sure let’s compare Giannis to SGA in 2024:

SGA (RS): .275 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 11.9 net rating, +11.1 on/off, led league in EPM (can’t find exact numbers without subscription)

Giannis (RS): .246 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 6.2 net rating, +10.0 on/off, was def behind Jokic and SGA at least in EPM

SGA (PS): .233 WS/48, 9.2 BPM, 5.6 net rating, -2.2 on/off

Giannis (PS): missed entire playoffs with his 4th major playoff injury in a 5 year span

MVP voting: SGA 2nd with 55/99 top 2 votes, Giannis 4th with 2/99 top 2 votes

POY voting: SGA 3rd with 12/17 top 2 votes, Giannis tied for 6th with 0/17 top 2 votes

Does that seem close to you? It doesn’t seem close to me at all. It seems like SGA blows him away.

wow you really love advanced stats

please try learning anything else about the sport tho


it's really cute how this discussion began with you saying it was a forgone conclusion that Wemby would leap Giannis next season

and now you're using advanced stats and playoff performance and injuries to try to justify giannis not being top 2

meanwhile wemby's playoff success and advanced stats and injury risk are all much worse than giannis'

No, I just said that Wemby was likely to be the 3rd best player in the league next year and you made the absurd statement that Giannis has consistently been a top 2 player for the better part of a decade.

I would bet thousands of dollars in a heartbeat on Wemby being healthier than Giannis next year. A young guy suffering one fluke injury is way different than an old guy who’s been consistently hurt for 5 out of 6 seasons.

You say I’m all about the advanced stats, but the awards based argument is even stronger than the stats-based argument. No one in the **** world thought Giannis was a top 2 player in 2024.

[JonHeist]

Spoiler:

Taking Giannis over Jokic the year Joker led every advanced stat during the regular season and won FMVP while Giannis lost in the 1st round as a 1 seed with a 2.0 playoff BPM is so hilarious that I can’t tell if you’re a stan or a troll, but sure let’s compare Giannis to SGA in 2024:

SGA (RS): .275 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 11.9 net rating, +11.1 on/off, led league in EPM (can’t find exact numbers without subscription)

Giannis (RS): .246 WS/48, 9.0 BPM, 6.2 net rating, +10.0 on/off, was def behind Jokic and SGA at least in EPM

SGA (PS): .233 WS/48, 9.2 BPM, 5.6 net rating, -2.2 on/off

Giannis (PS): missed entire playoffs with his 4th major playoff injury in a 5 year span

MVP voting: SGA 2nd with 55/99 top 2 votes, Giannis 4th with 2/99 top 2 votes

POY voting: SGA 3rd with 12/17 top 2 votes, Giannis tied for 6th with 0/17 top 2 votes

Does that seem close to you? It doesn’t seem close to me at all. It seems like SGA blows him away.

wow you really love advanced stats

please try learning anything else about the sport tho


it's really cute how this discussion began with you saying it was a forgone conclusion that Wemby would leap Giannis next season

and now you're using advanced stats and playoff performance and injuries to try to justify giannis not being top 2

meanwhile wemby's playoff success and advanced stats and injury risk are all much worse than giannis'

No, I just said that Wemby was likely to be the 3rd best player in the league next year and you made the absurd statement that Giannis has consistently been a top 2 player for the better part of a decade.

I would bet thousands of dollars in a heartbeat on Wemby being healthier than Giannis next year. A young guy suffering one fluke injury is way different than an old guy who’s been consistently hurt for 5 out of 6 seasons.

You say I’m all about the advanced stats, but the awards based argument is even stronger than the stats-based argument. No one in the **** world thought Giannis was a top 2 player in 2024.

you do know that MVP is just as much of a team award as a player award, right? that's an even worse argument than the GLORP/SHMORP advanced stats

[RHODEY]

No Brunson, Cade, Paolo, or AD while having old and injured players is pretty crazy.

Yeah pretty laughable.

[HMFFL]

NBA MVP Odds for 2025-26 Season
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Nikola Jokic: +200
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: +250
Giannis Antetokounmpo: +700
Luka Doncic: +800
Anthony Edwards: +1000
Victor Wembanyama: +1800
Cade Cunningham: +3000
Jalen Brunson: +3500
Joel Embiid: +7000
Kevin Durant: +8000
Donovan Mitchell: +8000
Jaylen Brown: +10000
Anthony Davis: +10000
Paolo Banchero: +10000
Ja Morant: +12000
LeBron James: +15000
Steph Curry: +15000
Devin Booker: +18000

[Bloodbather]

Embiid if healthy, though I don't know if that's a thing anymore. Same also applies to Kawhi. Tatum is out injured.

I'm taking Wemby. Probably takes a step forward and gets there.