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

[Profound23]

Offensive ratings:

Bucks with Giannis on the court 125.5 (first in NBA)
Bucks with Giannis off the court 105.3 (last in NBA)

[MarcusBrody]

Offensive ratings:

Bucks with Giannis on the court 125.5 (first in NBA)
Bucks with Giannis off the court 105.3 (last in NBA)

Which is great, save in this debate Denver's offensive rating with Jokic on the court is 4.5 points higher (according to NBA.com numbers) and the on/off difference fractional larger despite Denver being better on offense without him.

[canada_dry]

Presti is a genius no doubt, seems like every guy on that roster could have a much bigger role on a different team. with that said, both last year and this year thus far, the numbers consitently paint SGA as the primay driver of the team's success. no1 is doubting the Thunder are a "well put together team" to say the least but without SGA on the court - those guys do alot worse

fwiw, unlike past iterations of these Nuggets, it's fair to say this Nuggets team is also very well constructed in general and speficially constructed to maximizing the Joker's strengths, just like the squad around SGA is built to maximize his

SGA is def carrying the Thunder, I don't see an argument for the contrary tbh. does he have a great system, org, coach, GM and players around him? ofc..but so does Jokic. yes, the Thunder without SGA on the court have been suprisingly better than the Nuggets without Jokic on the court but still they are much better with SGA than without him, which would kinda be the definition of a carry job

btw, Jokic's on\off etc. are absoultely ridicilous atm meaning, despite the Nuggets having guys like AG and Murray who started the season very well and others playing well (more or less), they still can't seem to do much without Jokic on the court while being basically the best team in the league with him on the court, in that sense - Jokic's Nuggets are also a massive carry job...

both are pretty close in the race so far imo, both are cooking the entire league, consistently and literally every night, both are leading their teams to elite SRS and records and have the benefit of playing around 30 mpg (which actually hurts their raw stats but demonstrates just how dominant both have been)

I thought Jokic was slightly better last season than SGA individually, but he missed some games (including 4 games around the birth of his child) and OKC obviously had like 15 more wins, so that individual gap in favour of Jokic was negated by playing less games than SGA and by OKC winning alot more (even tho much of that was due to Okc's vastly superior depth)

this season thus far, the individual gap between the two is significantly larger and games played are even, so atm it's clearly Jokic ahead, even if the Thunder one less loss and even if it was a few games, the gap rn would still tilt it in favour of the Joker

but the season is very young obviously

This is the balance missing on this thread. All the "its not close" nonsense and fanboyism on both sides really is just that, nonsense.

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wait a guy named Canada Dry thinks its being fair and balanced to give SGA more credit for being the catalyst for OKCs greatness and saying Denver is a solid team around Jokic and by making those statements is thus drawing SGA closer to Jokic ...you don't say...


look lets be honest...everyone loves SGA...he is most likely the second or at worse 3rd best player on earth behind only Jokic and maybe Giannis or in some peoples minds Luka...but he aint better than Jokic.. there are opinions that come into play for 2nd thru 5th...and wemby has taken Tatums spot as the last guy in the argument for top 5...but there really isn't a debate about number one.
Jokics highs are Higher than SGAs and he is just as consistent and as solid of a leader,

Jokic is more consistent with better leadership and poise than Luka with his Highs just as high,

his ability to do everything Giannis can do from scoring and rebounding without the athleticism with better FTs and 3pt %

he isn't as freakish as wemby but he gets stat lines minus the blocks that make you think he is wilt

..and when tatum plays jokic just does everything better than him in a vacuum as well.


we dont Hate SGA...he is to me the second best player on earth with giannis 3...but its hard to jump big joke when he gives you 55 and doesn't even really take a shot in the 4th...

Your mistake is 2 fold.

1. You think because i have "canada" in my name based on a drink im biased towards SGA. False. I also as of today have jokic slightly ahead. But that's the thing. Slightly. You guys trying to claim its a landslide for your guy is my issue. Not that you may prefer 1 over the other. That's fine by me. Just the "its not close" nonsense. That's why i applauded the above balanced take. It wasn't biased. It was balanced. I liked that. Then you came in off the top rop with your jokic fest, somehow taking umbrage with an even keel take.

2. You seem to think mvp is a best player award. Blatantly false. Just look throughout history. If it was a best player award Jordan would have more. Lebron would have more. Shaq would have more. Etc etc.

Also You may want to look in the mirror when it comes to bias. Idk.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

[_NoMas]

Offensive ratings:

Bucks with Giannis on the court 125.5 (first in NBA)
Bucks with Giannis off the court 105.3 (last in NBA)

Which is great, save in this debate Denver's offensive rating with Jokic on the court is 4.5 points higher (according to NBA.com numbers) and the on/off difference fractional larger despite Denver being better on offense without him.

Also Denver are 5 points worse off defensively with Joker off the court. The Bucks are actually 2 points better defensively with Giannis off court. Joker cone and all that…

[CobraCommander]

This is the balance missing on this thread. All the "its not close" nonsense and fanboyism on both sides really is just that, nonsense.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

wait a guy named Canada Dry thinks its being fair and balanced to give SGA more credit for being the catalyst for OKCs greatness and saying Denver is a solid team around Jokic and by making those statements is thus drawing SGA closer to Jokic ...you don't say...


look lets be honest...everyone loves SGA...he is most likely the second or at worse 3rd best player on earth behind only Jokic and maybe Giannis or in some peoples minds Luka...but he aint better than Jokic.. there are opinions that come into play for 2nd thru 5th...and wemby has taken Tatums spot as the last guy in the argument for top 5...but there really isn't a debate about number one.
Jokics highs are Higher than SGAs and he is just as consistent and as solid of a leader,

Jokic is more consistent with better leadership and poise than Luka with his Highs just as high,

his ability to do everything Giannis can do from scoring and rebounding without the athleticism with better FTs and 3pt %

he isn't as freakish as wemby but he gets stat lines minus the blocks that make you think he is wilt

..and when tatum plays jokic just does everything better than him in a vacuum as well.


we dont Hate SGA...he is to me the second best player on earth with giannis 3...but its hard to jump big joke when he gives you 55 and doesn't even really take a shot in the 4th...

Your mistake is 2 fold.

1. You think because i have "canada" in my name based on a drink im biased towards SGA. False. I also as of today have jokic slightly ahead. But that's the thing. Slightly. You guys trying to claim its a landslide for your guy is my issue. Not that you may prefer 1 over the other. That's fine by me. Just the "its not close" nonsense. That's why i applauded the above balanced take. It wasn't biased. It was balanced. I liked that. Then you came in off the top rop with your jokic fest, somehow taking umbrage with an even keel take.

2. You seem to think mvp is a best player award. Blatantly false. Just look throughout history. If it was a best player award Jordan would have more. Lebron would have more. Shaq would have more. Etc etc.

Also You may want to look in the mirror when it comes to bias. Idk.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

first I apologize for thinking you are one of our brothers from the north.

second - as a wizards fan, none of the MVP caliber players are "my guy". these guys come to town and have their best game ever in my home arena so efff them!

third- I do understand that the MVP isn't the best player in basketball but thats what makes the award so silly. in baseball Ohtani is the best player and thus the mvp. the subjectiveness of the award invalidates the value of the most valuable player. It should be given to the best player as validated by having the best year quantified by being the best player on earth while leading a team to victories. if Jordan won 10 games a year he would never be the mvp because the VALUE is proven by WINNING.

4th- if its a poll on who I like most...I like all of the guys In the running equally. between luka, sga, tatum, wemby, jokic and giannis there isn't a scumbag by any measure in the lot...there isn't a specter of being even a bad guy. All of these guys are overly likable. from a likablity perspective there isn't a Draymond Greene or Ja or Zion or Embiid even a Graysen Allen. all these guys are likable...

5th- jokic is just that good...sga is all time good like maybe top 40 all time or maybe higher...giannis is easy top 20...jokic might be top 6 in his prime....thats insane...jokic is potentially in the pantheon of the real all time greats...not the TMACs...the Kobe level guys...

[ball_takes23]

This is the balance missing on this thread. All the "its not close" nonsense and fanboyism on both sides really is just that, nonsense.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

wait a guy named Canada Dry thinks its being fair and balanced to give SGA more credit for being the catalyst for OKCs greatness and saying Denver is a solid team around Jokic and by making those statements is thus drawing SGA closer to Jokic ...you don't say...


look lets be honest...everyone loves SGA...he is most likely the second or at worse 3rd best player on earth behind only Jokic and maybe Giannis or in some peoples minds Luka...but he aint better than Jokic.. there are opinions that come into play for 2nd thru 5th...and wemby has taken Tatums spot as the last guy in the argument for top 5...but there really isn't a debate about number one.
Jokics highs are Higher than SGAs and he is just as consistent and as solid of a leader,

Jokic is more consistent with better leadership and poise than Luka with his Highs just as high,

his ability to do everything Giannis can do from scoring and rebounding without the athleticism with better FTs and 3pt %

he isn't as freakish as wemby but he gets stat lines minus the blocks that make you think he is wilt

..and when tatum plays jokic just does everything better than him in a vacuum as well.


we dont Hate SGA...he is to me the second best player on earth with giannis 3...but its hard to jump big joke when he gives you 55 and doesn't even really take a shot in the 4th...

Your mistake is 2 fold.


2. You seem to think mvp is a best player award. Blatantly false. Just look throughout history. If it was a best player award Jordan would have more. Lebron would have more. Shaq would have more. Etc etc.


Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

the difference is that Jokic is not only the best player in the world he is also having by far the best season. That wasnt the case with Lebron, who may have been the best player but did not have better seasons than Curry(2016)/Harden(2018)/Giannis(2020) in the years he lost. 2011 is the only year he may have had the best season and lost but even that was not nearly as clearcut as this season has been up to this point.

[AleksandarN]

Wolves are the first really big test for Jokic.

Agee with this. The schedule/ injury luck has helped massively. Will be good to see how Denver shapes up against a good, healthy team who also happens to be their kryptonite.

Hopefully the Nuggets are not missing their starting SG and SF for the game on Saturday

[Crives]

Book has entered the chat

[iggymcfrack]

This is the balance missing on this thread. All the "its not close" nonsense and fanboyism on both sides really is just that, nonsense.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

wait a guy named Canada Dry thinks its being fair and balanced to give SGA more credit for being the catalyst for OKCs greatness and saying Denver is a solid team around Jokic and by making those statements is thus drawing SGA closer to Jokic ...you don't say...


look lets be honest...everyone loves SGA...he is most likely the second or at worse 3rd best player on earth behind only Jokic and maybe Giannis or in some peoples minds Luka...but he aint better than Jokic.. there are opinions that come into play for 2nd thru 5th...and wemby has taken Tatums spot as the last guy in the argument for top 5...but there really isn't a debate about number one.
Jokics highs are Higher than SGAs and he is just as consistent and as solid of a leader,

Jokic is more consistent with better leadership and poise than Luka with his Highs just as high,

his ability to do everything Giannis can do from scoring and rebounding without the athleticism with better FTs and 3pt %

he isn't as freakish as wemby but he gets stat lines minus the blocks that make you think he is wilt

..and when tatum plays jokic just does everything better than him in a vacuum as well.


we dont Hate SGA...he is to me the second best player on earth with giannis 3...but its hard to jump big joke when he gives you 55 and doesn't even really take a shot in the 4th...

Your mistake is 2 fold.

1. You think because i have "canada" in my name based on a drink im biased towards SGA. False. I also as of today have jokic slightly ahead. But that's the thing. Slightly. You guys trying to claim its a landslide for your guy is my issue. Not that you may prefer 1 over the other. That's fine by me. Just the "its not close" nonsense. That's why i applauded the above balanced take. It wasn't biased. It was balanced. I liked that. Then you came in off the top rop with your jokic fest, somehow taking umbrage with an even keel take.

2. You seem to think mvp is a best player award. Blatantly false. Just look throughout history. If it was a best player award Jordan would have more. Lebron would have more. Shaq would have more. Etc etc.

Also You may want to look in the mirror when it comes to bias. Idk.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

I had SGA as the deserved MVP last season, but I don’t see how it can be close right now. Jokic has not only had the best 10 game stretch of all-time, it’s like 3 standard deviations above any 10 game stretch anyone else has ever had. It’s like if a golfer shot a 54 on the tour or something. It makes me think he can pass Jordan and LeBron.

[B-easy]

Jokic is the best passer in the league. Best scorer in the league and arguably the best rebounder. Insane.

[Ssj16]

Presti is a genius no doubt, seems like every guy on that roster could have a much bigger role on a different team. with that said, both last year and this year thus far, the numbers consitently paint SGA as the primay driver of the team's success. no1 is doubting the Thunder are a "well put together team" to say the least but without SGA on the court - those guys do alot worse

fwiw, unlike past iterations of these Nuggets, it's fair to say this Nuggets team is also very well constructed in general and speficially constructed to maximizing the Joker's strengths, just like the squad around SGA is built to maximize his

SGA is def carrying the Thunder, I don't see an argument for the contrary tbh. does he have a great system, org, coach, GM and players around him? ofc..but so does Jokic. yes, the Thunder without SGA on the court have been suprisingly better than the Nuggets without Jokic on the court but still they are much better with SGA than without him, which would kinda be the definition of a carry job

btw, Jokic's on\off etc. are absoultely ridicilous atm meaning, despite the Nuggets having guys like AG and Murray who started the season very well and others playing well (more or less), they still can't seem to do much without Jokic on the court while being basically the best team in the league with him on the court, in that sense - Jokic's Nuggets are also a massive carry job...

both are pretty close in the race so far imo, both are cooking the entire league, consistently and literally every night, both are leading their teams to elite SRS and records and have the benefit of playing around 30 mpg (which actually hurts their raw stats but demonstrates just how dominant both have been)

I thought Jokic was slightly better last season than SGA individually, but he missed some games (including 4 games around the birth of his child) and OKC obviously had like 15 more wins, so that individual gap in favour of Jokic was negated by playing less games than SGA and by OKC winning alot more (even tho much of that was due to Okc's vastly superior depth)

this season thus far, the individual gap between the two is significantly larger and games played are even, so atm it's clearly Jokic ahead, even if the Thunder one less loss and even if it was a few games, the gap rn would still tilt it in favour of the Joker

but the season is very young obviously

This is the balance missing on this thread. All the "its not close" nonsense and fanboyism on both sides really is just that, nonsense.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM Forums mobile app

wait a guy named Canada Dry thinks its being fair and balanced to give SGA more credit for being the catalyst for OKCs greatness and saying Denver is a solid team around Jokic and by making those statements is thus drawing SGA closer to Jokic ...you don't say...


look lets be honest...everyone loves SGA...he is most likely the second or at worse 3rd best player on earth behind only Jokic and maybe Giannis or in some peoples minds Luka...but he aint better than Jokic.. there are opinions that come into play for 2nd thru 5th...and wemby has taken Tatums spot as the last guy in the argument for top 5...but there really isn't a debate about number one.
Jokics highs are Higher than SGAs and he is just as consistent and as solid of a leader,

Jokic is more consistent with better leadership and poise than Luka with his Highs just as high,

his ability to do everything Giannis can do from scoring and rebounding without the athleticism with better FTs and 3pt %

he isn't as freakish as wemby but he gets stat lines minus the blocks that make you think he is wilt

..and when tatum plays jokic just does everything better than him in a vacuum as well.


we dont Hate SGA...he is to me the second best player on earth with giannis 3...but its hard to jump big joke when he gives you 55 and doesn't even really take a shot in the 4th...

Imo the gap between joker and everyone else was similar to Lebron and Curry/KD/etc. All those other players were great but Lebron was on a tier of his own in his prime.

[eric5280]

Jokic this season is the best player to ever do it. His numbers and efficiency are too otherworldly to ignore.

Rank Player BPM Season
1. Nikola Jokić 20.81 2025-26
2. Nikola Jokić 13.72 2021-22
3. Nikola Jokić 13.28 2024-25
4. LeBron James 13.24 2008-09
5. Nikola Jokić 13.23 2023-24
6. Nikola Jokić 13.01 2022-23
7. Michael Jordan* 12.96 1987-88
8. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 12.47 2025-26
9. Nikola Jokić 12.09 2020-21
10. Michael Jordan* 12.01 1990-91

[Patches Perry]

SGA and it's not even close.

[jagz]

SGA and it's not even close.

I can't believe I'm taking time out of my day to point out something as obvious as the fact that water is wet, but on an individual level, Jokic is galaxies above everyone else so far this year. Usually, when people use expressions like that in statements like this, it's an exaggeration. But, in this case, this year, it's honestly not.

Now, if this were last year, and OKC was likely to end up with almost a 20-game lead on DEN, and Shai was still an MVP-virgin, then, yeah, he would be a strong favorite. But, the Nuggets look like a 60-win team, so if the gap between the teams is much smaller (like this season), then I don't see SGA being able to overcome Joker's individual superiority.

[Wolfgang630]

Joker is back on top of the NBA ladder like he deserves to be!

[Ambrose]

Book has entered the chat

I suppose 10th might be in play, sure

[Crives]

Book has entered the chat

I suppose 10th might be in play, sure

I would have him 5 or 6 right now

[iggymcfrack]

Book has entered the chat

I suppose 10th might be in play, sure

I would have him 5 or 6 right now

I mean how can you argue with a 2.0 BPM and a +2.0 on/off. Those are almost Ajay Mitchell numbers!

Honestly, would Booker even crack the rotation for the Thunder right now? Like he has better numbers than 3 of their 6 guards, but not by much and he would also be the worst defender on the entire team.

I feel like it might be a Bradley Beal with the Clippers situation where if you bring him in you have to play him because of the name value, but I’m not convinced Booker would actually be a top 5 or 6 guard on the Thunder, let alone a top 5 or 6 player in the **** league.

[Crives]

I suppose 10th might be in play, sure

I would have him 5 or 6 right now

I mean how can you argue with a 2.0 BPM and a +2.0 on/off. Those are almost Ajay Mitchell numbers!

Honestly, would Booker even crack the rotation for the Thunder right now? Like he has better numbers than 3 of their 6 guards, but not by much and he would also be the worst defender on the entire team.

I feel like it might be a Bradley Beal with the Clippers situation where if you bring him in you have to play him because of the name value, but I’m not convinced Booker would actually be a top 5 or 6 guard on the Thunder, let alone a top 5 or 6 player in the **** league.

You are right, Booker wouldn’t even crack thunder rotation and be their 7th best guard!

[MoneyTalks41890]

I can’t be mad about it anymore, but I was livid back in the 2015 draft when OKC didn’t leapfrog the Suns and take Booker. He would’ve been such a perfect Russ running mate. Took Cameron Payne instead… smh.