Who do you think wins MVP this season? (2025-26 NBA MVP Discussion Thread)

[falcolombardi]

17 of those wins were against sub .500 teams. I’ll be more impressed if they keep it up in mid January when they finally start to play some decent teams.

To further elaborate on this, they have played 3 games against the top 6 teams of each conference.

3.

Portland has played 14 games against the top 6 of each conference for some frame of reference here.

OKC next 3 are against the Jazz, Clippers and Booker-less Suns. They just don’t face good teams lol.

Even so, it is HARD AF to go 22-1. 22-1 is outrageously impressive. It's even more impressive when you consider they have not had their 2nd best player for the majority of those games.

I still have Jokic ahead because to me it should go to the best player unless there are special circumstances. If OKC sniffs 70-wins with SGA averaging 33-6-5 in 33 min would definitely counts as special circumstances. If OKC is closer to 65 wins for the season, Denver will have to have ~55+ wins for Jokic to have a chance at winning it.

Sometimes i wonder if people decided jokic was the best after 2023 and refuse to ever consider the possibility of anyone else ever since even if all the team success, stats advanced and otherwise have someone else ahead right now

Lebron for example went to the finals 8 years in a row and his bitw was more questioned than jokic off a single title/finals run

Insane returns from that year

[bbms]

i bet everyone in okc wnts the l here.

sga sits btw

I saw the -9.5 line on ESPN and thought, wow, gamblers really respect UTA homecourt, because they were -15.5 against the Mavs, now I understand why

i was pissed they blew them out early in the season. the closer they are to failing the race to the bottom, and the closer they are to race to play-in the better.

[AleksandarN]

Should be unanimous for SGA if this sport is serious about winning.

22-1

17 of those wins were against sub .500 teams. I’ll be more impressed if they keep it up in mid January when they finally start to play some decent teams.

Nuggets are 9-5 against sub .500 teams - why can’t they take care of business like OKC does routinely?

OKC is 5-0 against above .500 teams including wins over Houston and the Lakers (beat them by 30 fyi) without their 2nd best player.

Because OKC is the better team and the Nuggets were 10 2 before losing their 3 and 4th best players and their best and second best defender. OKC have at least 7 better defenders than the nuggets.

[AleksandarN]

17 of those wins were against sub .500 teams. I’ll be more impressed if they keep it up in mid January when they finally start to play some decent teams.

Nuggets are 9-5 against sub .500 teams - why can’t they take care of business like OKC does routinely?

OKC is 5-0 against above .500 teams including wins over Houston and the Lakers (beat them by 30 fyi) without their 2nd best player.

But nobody is calling Denver some unbeatable juggernaut, the last time I checked.

The narrative is that OKC is plowing through the league like some unstoppable force, and they have been, but when you examine it a little more closely, the lack of quality teams they have beaten shaves some of the luster off a little. Again, I want to see them dominate when their schedule gets tougher is all I’m really saying.

They will dominate even with the schedule getting harder. They are that good. When you can roll out at least 8 defenders who are good to all nba level defenders you can dominate.

[AleksandarN]

Ya Jokic has been rough on defense this year. Much of it is not having A.Gordon to help in the FC, but he's straight up looked bad, and there's not much you can say to apologize for it. Slacking off on defense is what vet superstars do in the RS, so ya, go for it, but dont make it seem that it’s something it isnt.

The injuries make Jokic lack of rim protection more evident. You lose two of your best defenders good luck. It’s not like Thunder who have so many great defenders. Nuggets have maybe 3 with Peyton.

[SA37]

Spoiler:

To further elaborate on this, they have played 3 games against the top 6 teams of each conference.

3.

Portland has played 14 games against the top 6 of each conference for some frame of reference here.

OKC next 3 are against the Jazz, Clippers and Booker-less Suns. They just don’t face good teams lol.

Even so, it is HARD AF to go 22-1. 22-1 is outrageously impressive. It's even more impressive when you consider they have not had their 2nd best player for the majority of those games.

I still have Jokic ahead because to me it should go to the best player unless there are special circumstances. If OKC sniffs 70-wins with SGA averaging 33-6-5 in 33 min would definitely counts as special circumstances. If OKC is closer to 65 wins for the season, Denver will have to have ~55+ wins for Jokic to have a chance at winning it.

Sometimes i wonder if people decided jokic was the best after 2023 and refuse to ever consider the possibility of anyone else ever since even if all the team success, stats advanced and otherwise have someone else ahead right now

Lebron for example went to the finals 8 years in a row and his bitw was more questioned than jokic off a single title/finals run

Insane returns from that year

IMO, Jokic has been the best player in basketball since ~2021 and over the last 2-3 seasons, no one is even close.

Team success is a function of the...team. And the best team doesn't necessarily have the best player. Similarly, the best player on the best team isn't necessarily the MVP.

This article does a very good job of putting Jokic's numbers (as well as SGA's and Giannis's) into perspective (this article is 2 weeks old, but I doubt much has changed):

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47086057/nba-2025-2026-stars-hot-starts-mvp-nikola-jokic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-giannis-antetokounmpo-luka-doncic

[falcolombardi]

Spoiler:

Even so, it is HARD AF to go 22-1. 22-1 is outrageously impressive. It's even more impressive when you consider they have not had their 2nd best player for the majority of those games.

I still have Jokic ahead because to me it should go to the best player unless there are special circumstances. If OKC sniffs 70-wins with SGA averaging 33-6-5 in 33 min would definitely counts as special circumstances. If OKC is closer to 65 wins for the season, Denver will have to have ~55+ wins for Jokic to have a chance at winning it.

Sometimes i wonder if people decided jokic was the best after 2023 and refuse to ever consider the possibility of anyone else ever since even if all the team success, stats advanced and otherwise have someone else ahead right now

Lebron for example went to the finals 8 years in a row and his bitw was more questioned than jokic off a single title/finals run

Insane returns from that year

IMO, Jokic has been the best player in basketball since ~2021 and over the last 2-3 seasons, no one is even close.

Team success is a function of the...team. And the best team doesn't necessarily have the best player. Similarly, the best player on the best team isn't necessarily the MVP.

This article does a very good job of putting Jokic's numbers (as well as SGA's and Giannis's) into perspective (this article is 2 weeks old, but I doubt much has changed):

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47086057/nba-2025-2026-stars-hot-starts-mvp-nikola-jokic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-giannis-antetokounmpo-luka-doncic

To place Jokic's start in context, I'll first use a statistic designed to measure production in a small sample: game score, which encapsulates a player's entire box score in a single number. 

Not starting too well right off the bat...

[RB34]

Bad game for Joker he didn’t score 32.

[AleksandarN]

Bad game for Joker he didn’t score 32.

Didn’t even get a triple double. Bum

[ball_takes23]

okc up 30 at halftime w/o SGA. Hilarious when people try to equate with Jokic's help just because Murray and AG scored 50 once

[Infinite Llamas]

1 Jokic
2 SGA
3 J Dub
4 Gordon
5 Jamal
6 Chet
7 Hartenstein
8 Mitchell
9 Dort
10 Cam Johnson
11 Caruso
12 Cason Wallace


OKC has 8 of the best 12 between these two teams. You could argue Braun and Wallace are close. But there is a talent gap with these two teams. Jokics supporting cast is far from trash but it’s also not on the level of Shai’s.

[Ssj16]

1 Jokic
2 SGA
3 J Dub
4 Gordon
5 Jamal
6 Chet
7 Hartenstein
8 Mitchell
9 Dort
10 Cam Johnson
11 Caruso
12 Cason Wallace


OKC has 8 of the best 12 between these two teams. You could argue Braun and Wallace are close. But there is a talent gap with these two teams. Jokics supporting cast is far from trash but it’s also not on the level of Shai’s.

OKC's team is extremely deep, well coached and the mesh together well. Ive said many times that not many super stars have this luxury. It reminds me of Steph (even before KD joining the Warriors) benefiting from a competent front office that put together a team that was mostly drafted and played to his strengths vs Lebron who practically put the Cavs together (and did a good job of it). Even though Steph played in the better institution, Lebron was always the better player.

[Castle Black]

OKC is currently up 40 on Utah in a game where SGA, Hartenstein, Dort, Joe, and Caruso aren’t even playing…. In case you were wondering how absurdly stacked that team is.

[Archx]

Bad game for Joker he didn’t score 32.

Didn’t even get a triple double. Bum

He has some catching up to do, has fallen to 3rd place tonight.

[mademan]

OKC is currently up 40 on Utah in a game where SGA, Hartenstein, Dort, Joe, and Caruso aren’t even playing…. In case you were wondering how absurdly stacked that team is.

It is a Utah missing their best player too, but yes, OKC is stacked. All teams that win 70 (or 68 last year), are stacked. Didnt stop MJ or Steph from winning MVP's

[DrModesty]

OKC is currently up 40 on Utah in a game where SGA, Hartenstein, Dort, Joe, and Caruso aren’t even playing…. In case you were wondering how absurdly stacked that team is.

It is a Utah missing their best player too, but yes, OKC is stacked. All teams that win 70 (or 68 last year), are stacked. Didnt stop MJ or Steph from winning MVP's

Missing their two best players, played a particularly poor game, and OKC shot hot. But yes, no one is denying OKC has a very strong team.

[AleksandarN]

Bad game for Joker he didn’t score 32.

Didn’t even get a triple double. Bum

He has some catching up to do, has fallen to 3rd place tonight.

At that efficiency that Luka has he would have double the amount if he dominated the ball as much as Luka. I do think both Luka and Jokic will surpass Westbrook on triple doubles though

[RB34]

OKC out here setting franchise records without SGA.

[LeBronSpaghetti]

Jokic passed Michael Jordan in total career assists tonight

[f4p]

How does shai win with these bums.