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

[MMyhre]

8 guys having a chance to win the MVP is bonkers. Jokic has won 3 of the last 5 MVPs, finishing 2nd to an all-time robbery and an all-time guard season. How he has his best team ever and the best 9 game start in NBA history. SGA, coming off a historic season has probably the best team in NBA history and is off to a 9-1 start despite his team being wracked by injuries. Giannis and Luka are both putting up the best numbers of their careers. Wemby’s a young wellspring of potential who’s taken a huge leap.

How the **** are Cade, Maxey, or Edwards gonna catch up to that? They’re just gonna magically come up with all-time seasons when they’ve never been close? I feel like you’d have an easier time finding 15 teams that can win the NBA title than you can 8 guys that can win the MVP unless you’re just counting on all the top candidates failing to play 65 games.

Pistons are 7-2 with Cade averaging around 30 pts and 10 assists with solid numbers all around the last 5 games, good defense and the highest rim assisted shots in the league for point guards. The Pistons offense drops by -10.4 points per 100 possessions when he sits.

Edwards has averaged 36.3 pts/69.3 ts %, 2.3 ast/3.3 to, 5.3 reb, 0.3 stl, 1 blk, +8 in just 33.3 minutes in the three games he has not been injured/just came back from injury this season. With Randle and McDaniels making leaps, and an improved bench, the Wolves could make a higher seed push eventually.

Maxey is averaging 33.2 pts on 62.6 ts % with 8.3 ast/2.7 turnovers, and he and Cade plays in the weaker east... I am not going to bother arguing further if you think those numbers are impossible to win MVP with.

It's not like they are miles behind, Wolves are 2 games behind the Nuggets, Pistons are even with the Nuggets & the Sixers are 1 win behind with guys returning from injury.
Did I say it was very likely? No, but that doesn't mean it's impossible if they take out their potential and improve their teams record with a good narrative, new narrative around them.

The way you talk about Jokic being "historic" by beating some of the worst teams in the league or teams missing their stars, is just way overdramatic and an exaggeration. If he keeps averaging 35 14 14, smashing the Rockets, Spurs & OKC, sure, he is the MVP. He is not going to do that though, because these teams are much better than some of the teams he has faced, and we have seen him struggle against the Wolves, OKC, Blazers & even the finnish national team for some reason.

I don't think you understand how good some of these players are, it's not 24-25 anymore, players can improve, and all these three are entering that early peak/prime years at 24-25 years of age and need to be respected. All three of them are probably better offensive players than Wemby as well.

Cade, Edwards, and Maxey are all having career years, and they’re still miles behind Jokic statistically, both in the box score and the advanced metrics.

Jokic would have to get injured for them to have any chance, and they’d still be way behind Giannis, SGA, and Luka. It’s not happening.

No one is miles behind anyone, stop exaggerating. It's been 7-10 games, things change quickly with small sample sizes and varying opposition. Jokic is off to a good start, a little bit lucky that the better teams he was supposed to face had their best players out. Lets see if he keeps it up.

[Optms]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. He's in shape, a good defender and God. Can't argue.

[zero rings]

Pistons are 7-2 with Cade averaging around 30 pts and 10 assists with solid numbers all around the last 5 games, good defense and the highest rim assisted shots in the league for point guards. The Pistons offense drops by -10.4 points per 100 possessions when he sits.

Edwards has averaged 36.3 pts/69.3 ts %, 2.3 ast/3.3 to, 5.3 reb, 0.3 stl, 1 blk, +8 in just 33.3 minutes in the three games he has not been injured/just came back from injury this season. With Randle and McDaniels making leaps, and an improved bench, the Wolves could make a higher seed push eventually.

Maxey is averaging 33.2 pts on 62.6 ts % with 8.3 ast/2.7 turnovers, and he and Cade plays in the weaker east... I am not going to bother arguing further if you think those numbers are impossible to win MVP with.

It's not like they are miles behind, Wolves are 2 games behind the Nuggets, Pistons are even with the Nuggets & the Sixers are 1 win behind with guys returning from injury.
Did I say it was very likely? No, but that doesn't mean it's impossible if they take out their potential and improve their teams record with a good narrative, new narrative around them.

The way you talk about Jokic being "historic" by beating some of the worst teams in the league or teams missing their stars, is just way overdramatic and an exaggeration. If he keeps averaging 35 14 14, smashing the Rockets, Spurs & OKC, sure, he is the MVP. He is not going to do that though, because these teams are much better than some of the teams he has faced, and we have seen him struggle against the Wolves, OKC, Blazers & even the finnish national team for some reason.

I don't think you understand how good some of these players are, it's not 24-25 anymore, players can improve, and all these three are entering that early peak/prime years at 24-25 years of age and need to be respected. All three of them are probably better offensive players than Wemby as well.

Cade, Edwards, and Maxey are all having career years, and they’re still miles behind Jokic statistically, both in the box score and the advanced metrics.

Jokic would have to get injured for them to have any chance, and they’d still be way behind Giannis, SGA, and Luka. It’s not happening.

No one is miles behind anyone, stop exaggerating. It's been 7-10 games, things change quickly with small sample sizes and varying opposition. Jokic is off to a good start, a little bit lucky that the better teams he was supposed to face had their best players out. Let’s see if he keeps it up.

Jokic’s numbers could regress to his usual MVP level and he’d still be miles ahead of those guys.

[Ssj16]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. Also he's in shape- a good defender and God. Can't argue.

He was surpassed in the eyes of traumatized Lakers/Embiid fans.

Switch SGA on Denver and Jokic on OKC and who do you seriously think does better?

Also Jokic had better individual numbers than SGA. I thought SGA deserved to win the MVP but in a vacuum, how did SGA proved he surpassed Jokic, which metric are we using?

The convo needs to be more nuanced than just winning a championship. Lebron lost many times in the playoffs but he was still the best player in the league.

[MMyhre]

Cade, Edwards, and Maxey are all having career years, and they’re still miles behind Jokic statistically, both in the box score and the advanced metrics.

Jokic would have to get injured for them to have any chance, and they’d still be way behind Giannis, SGA, and Luka. It’s not happening.

No one is miles behind anyone, stop exaggerating. It's been 7-10 games, things change quickly with small sample sizes and varying opposition. Jokic is off to a good start, a little bit lucky that the better teams he was supposed to face had their best players out. Let’s see if he keeps it up.

Jokic’s numbers could regress to his usual MVP level and he’d still be miles ahead of those guys.

Prove it is a "miles" distance, and stop fanboying.

[Optms]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. Also he's in shape- a good defender and God. Can't argue.

He was surpassed in the eyes of traumatized Lakers/Embiid fans.

Switch SGA on Denver and Jokic on OKC and who do you seriously think does better?

Also Jokic had better individual numbers than SGA. I thought SGA deserved to win the MVP but in a vacuum, how did SGA proved he surpassed Jokic, which metric are we using?

The convo needs to be more nuanced than just winning a championship. Lebron lost many times in the playoffs but he was still the best player in the league.

Voters must have been Embiid/Lakers fans too. Thats why Shai was the MVP.

Shai and Jokic are same tier players. You may even want to include Giannis now too. All equal talents.

But somehow Jokic is comparable to prime LeBron now? Michael Jordan too? When did Jokic get to that level of success and dominance? Of course you don't want to count rings because it doesn't fit the narrative.

[Castle Black]

Wemby is out of the top 5 in the BBREF MVP tracker and is now behind Austin Reaves and Tyrese Maxey.

That's just dumb. Spurs would very likely be 0-9 without Wemby. He's that important to our Defense, especially with Kornet missing all but the first 2 games of the season. Our defense falls off a cliff when Wemby sits. With him, we're the #2 Defense in the NBA.

He's still averaging 24/13/3/4 on 50% shooting while being the best defensive player on the planet, and the Spurs are 7-2 and currently the #2 Seed in the West despite missing Fox, Kornet, Sochan, and Olynyk most of the season. He's definitely still top-5 despite his outside shooting struggles so far.

[Wolfgang630]

Maximillian over Wemby?

[zero rings]

No one is miles behind anyone, stop exaggerating. It's been 7-10 games, things change quickly with small sample sizes and varying opposition. Jokic is off to a good start, a little bit lucky that the better teams he was supposed to face had their best players out. Let’s see if he keeps it up.

Jokic’s numbers could regress to his usual MVP level and he’d still be miles ahead of those guys.

Prove it is a "miles" distance, and stop fanboying.

How many first place votes do you think Maxey, Cade, and Ant will have between them? Be honest.

[Infinite Llamas]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. Also he's in shape- a good defender and God. Can't argue.

He was surpassed in the eyes of traumatized Lakers/Embiid fans.

Switch SGA on Denver and Jokic on OKC and who do you seriously think does better?

Also Jokic had better individual numbers than SGA. I thought SGA deserved to win the MVP but in a vacuum, how did SGA proved he surpassed Jokic, which metric are we using?

The convo needs to be more nuanced than just winning a championship. Lebron lost many times in the playoffs but he was still the best player in the league.

Can’t argue with a guy who leaves Jokic out of his top-5 MVP candidates for…checks notes…Josh Giddey.

[Infinite Llamas]

Jokic’s numbers could regress to his usual MVP level and he’d still be miles ahead of those guys.

Prove it is a "miles" distance, and stop fanboying.

How many first place votes do you think Maxey, Cade, and Ant will have between them? Be honest.

I can see Cade maybe stealing one if Detroit gets top seed in the east. The other two? No chance.

[Ssj16]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. Also he's in shape- a good defender and God. Can't argue.

He was surpassed in the eyes of traumatized Lakers/Embiid fans.

Switch SGA on Denver and Jokic on OKC and who do you seriously think does better?

Also Jokic had better individual numbers than SGA. I thought SGA deserved to win the MVP but in a vacuum, how did SGA proved he surpassed Jokic, which metric are we using?

The convo needs to be more nuanced than just winning a championship. Lebron lost many times in the playoffs but he was still the best player in the league.

Voters must have been Embiid/Lakers fans too. Thats why Shai was the MVP.

Shai and Jokic are same tier players. You may even want to include Giannis now too. All equal talents.

But somehow Jokic is comparable to prime LeBron now? Michael Jordan too? When did Jokic get to that level of success and dominance? Of course you don't want to count rings because it doesn't fit the narrative.

I agree SGA has made it to the same tier as Jokic but you stated surpassed. Winning MVPs doesn't mean you surpassed the best player in the world. Ask MJ and Lebron.

[AleksandarN]

Can't argue with Jokic stans. Even when he was surpassed (last year), he is still somehow the best player in the game and MVP. Also he's in shape- a good defender and God. Can't argue.

He was surpassed in the eyes of traumatized Lakers/Embiid fans.

Switch SGA on Denver and Jokic on OKC and who do you seriously think does better?

Also Jokic had better individual numbers than SGA. I thought SGA deserved to win the MVP but in a vacuum, how did SGA proved he surpassed Jokic, which metric are we using?

The convo needs to be more nuanced than just winning a championship. Lebron lost many times in the playoffs but he was still the best player in the league.

Voters must have been Embiid/Lakers fans too. Thats why Shai was the MVP.

Shai and Jokic are same tier players. You may even want to include Giannis now too. All equal talents.

But somehow Jokic is comparable to prime LeBron now? Michael Jordan too? When did Jokic get to that level of success and dominance? Of course you don't want to count rings because it doesn't fit the narrative.

Winning? Didn’t LeBron win his 4th mvp before winning his second chip? Why can’t Jokic win his fourth

[Johnny Firpo]

I've a feeling the Jokic stans are going to try to convince us again that he's a great defender.

For the 100th time. No one says Jokic is a "great" defender. But the narrative that he only plays on one side of the court hasn't been true for several years now. He's an average to good defender. Grow up.

He's not a good defender. I listened the stans going on about that for years but then I watched the series against OKC and he Eurobasket and his defense was much worse than I thought. So no he's not good defender he's a mediocre defender.

I'm also gonna say "for the 100th time", but will have a different argument. One that consistently gets ignored by haters. The truth is this, Jokic is without a doubt, REALLY BAD at two things on defense, challenging shots when he is not in position (not that great at it when he is in position either, but looks terrible, lazy when he is not in position), and moving his feet in space in pick&roll coverage.
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So, this means that in any given game, he will give up layups and will look REALLY bad on CERTAIN possessions. When casuals (no offense, but it's just the truth) are watching, or maybe not casuals, but someone with an agenda who does not like the guy, they will see these possessions, and they see everything they wanted to see, no nuance, no need to further evaluate anything else. Those possessions mean everything, no room for anything else (certain Giannis fans, certain Shai fans, certain Embiid fans, wonder why... Not really wondering, everyone knows). So the assumption is, someone who looks lazy and cannot defend the rim as a center, automatically a terrible defender.
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But Jokic is so unique, that in his case even this is not true, and that's why defensive advanced stats are great. They might not be able to show you who is the best (they can btw, Wemby will dominate those stats), but they will absolutely let you know if someone is a total liability or not. Jokic just isn't. He might be in some cases, in some games, on some possessions, but not always, far from it. The truth is that Jokic is - depending on how he woke up - anything from bad to absolutely terrible at like 20% of defense, and all-time great at the other 80% of it. And while that particular 20% is without a doubt the most important one for a center still in this era (challenging shots close to the rim), he is so great at everything else (calling out plays, anticipation, being in the right place, poking at balls, steals and defensive rebounding), despite looking terrible on certain possessions, he is indeed at least an above average defender.
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I personally would not call him a good defender, he does a lot of things amazingly well, but he is not good at the most important center defense skills. With that said, I do believe that anyone that says he only plays one side of the court and/or a terrible defender, is either a casual or a hater, who cannot see his greatness objectively. And honestly, I think there is a very high correlation between haters and those who are talking about "Jokic stans". Great players don't have stans, they have fans.
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It's almost impossible to overrate a peak MJ, peak LeBron, peak Steph or yes, a peak Joker. He is without a doubt in that all-time great category. Already easily amongst the top 15 all-time players in terms of peak ability and impact. And this is an objective fact. Is he the greatest? No, and that's because of his defense. Is he a bad defender? Heck no. He is a bad rim protector, and an above average defensive player.

[HotRocks34]

Kareem won 5 MVPs with just one title under his belt. The precedent has already been set.

[Mrakar]

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[Wolfgang630]

Kareem won 5 MVPs with just one title under his belt. The precedent has already been set.

He also won one with a dog crap record.

[AleksandarN]

Kareem won 5 MVPs with just one title under his belt. The precedent has already been set.

He also won one with a dog crap record.

He didn’t make the playoffs if I recall. That’s when the players voted for MVP. So for everyone who wants to the players to vote for the awards think again.

[Andri]

IMO nobody is in Jokic’s tier right now. But season is long, there will be ups and downs for everyone

[Jamaaliver]

IMO nobody is in Jokic’s tier right now.

IDK, man. I'm told there are two ends of the basketball court...

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