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

[lethalizer]

Breaking news:

A non playoff team missing its 27.6 ppg player gets hurt more compared to the defending champs missing the MVP.

Some groundbreaking analysis being made here

[Manimal]

The Thunder are still a 60 win team even without SGA.

[RB34]

Breaking news:

A non playoff team missing its 27.6 ppg player gets hurt more compared to the defending champs missing the MVP.

Some groundbreaking analysis being made here

Thunder were also missing Hartenstein, Dort, Caruso and Joe but I’m sure your expert analysis took that into account.

[QPR]

The Thunder are still a 60 win team even without SGA.

Because they beat a tanking Utah?

[lethalizer]

Breaking news:

A non playoff team missing its 27.6 ppg player gets hurt more compared to the defending champs missing the MVP.

Some groundbreaking analysis being made here

Thunder were also missing Hartenstein, Dort, Caruso and Joe but I’m sure your expert analysis took that into account.

If you're going there the Jazz were also without Kessler.

Yes, OKC is a better and of course deeper team than the Jazz. We all know this.

We all know this, right?

[RB34]

Breaking news:

A non playoff team missing its 27.6 ppg player gets hurt more compared to the defending champs missing the MVP.

Some groundbreaking analysis being made here

Thunder were also missing Hartenstein, Dort, Caruso and Joe but I’m sure your expert analysis took that into account.

If you're going there the Jazz were also without Kessler.

Yes, OKC is a better and of course deeper team than the Jazz. We all know this.

We all know this, right?

Nah mate no one knows that.

[kazyv]

Breaking news:

A non playoff team missing its 27.6 ppg player gets hurt more compared to the defending champs missing the MVP.

Some groundbreaking analysis being made here

Thunder were also missing Hartenstein, Dort, Caruso and Joe but I’m sure your expert analysis took that into account.

If you're going there the Jazz were also without Kessler.

Yes, OKC is a better and of course deeper team than the Jazz. We all know this.

We all know this, right?

well, I'm not one to overreact to one game, but you're doing a bit of understatement there as it wasn't just a win, it's about how they won.

besides, mvp is about excelling ultimately, so if okc is a 70+ win team with shai, but only a 60 win team without him, it's still a legitimate MVP case

[Patches Perry]

OKC would be a 55 win team without Shai, and a 72 win team with him. Another parallel to Michael Jordan!

[lethalizer]

Thunder were also missing Hartenstein, Dort, Caruso and Joe but I’m sure your expert analysis took that into account.

If you're going there the Jazz were also without Kessler.

Yes, OKC is a better and of course deeper team than the Jazz. We all know this.

We all know this, right?

well, I'm not one to overreact to one game, but you're doing a bit of understatement there as it wasn't just a win, it's about how they won.

besides, mvp is about excelling ultimately, so if okc is a 70+ win team with shai, but only a 60 win team without him, it's still a legitimate MVP case

I'm sorry but OKC ain't winning 60 games without Shai.

But I don't even care about this award, I know it's weird that I'm posting on this thread a lot considering my opinion on it, but still. I like celebrating performances, mainly. I even rooted against Shai winning it last year cause I thought it'd hurt Thunder's chances of winning a ring.

[hagredionis]

That's wasn't a very good game for SGA's MVP case, OKC won by 30 points without SGA. I think it's a similar situation as with the Spurs, OKC is probably as good without SGA as it is with him. If your team is winning by 30 points without you then you aren't the the most valuable player are you? Meanwhile the Lakers won thanks to Luka's 31 / 15 / 11 triple double while their bench scored only 10 points. Now that's a text book most valuable player situation.

At this point the race is between Luka and Jokic with Luka in the clear lead. I feel Jokic has to improve his defense and rim protection to have a chance.

[Yuri36]

The Thunder are still a 60 win team even without SGA.

Because they beat a tanking Utah?

Actually they destroyed them.

[Alatan]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

His bag consisting of dribbling in place then charging into a defender and spinning off to shoot a stepback two?
Step-back twos are consolation shots when you cant beat your defender and its especially pathetic if you still cant do it after committing an offensive foul.

[Mavrelous]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

His bag consisting of dribbling in place then charging into a defender and spinning off to shoot a stepback two?
Step-back twos are consolation shots when you cant beat your defender and its especially pathetic if you still cant do it after committing an offensive foul.

Dirk Nowitzki earned his money on the one legged fade away shot, it was 35% at best for the rest of the stars in the league, not for him though...

[bbms]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

His bag consisting of dribbling in place then charging into a defender and spinning off to shoot a stepback two?
Step-back twos are consolation shots when you cant beat your defender and its especially pathetic if you still cant do it after committing an offensive foul.

oh yeah he's terribe

your comment sound profound but it's just ignorance paired with ressentment and envy, there's nothing about "not beating the man" but reading the coverage - he forces inside to his right, there's multiple defenders close outs possible.

he wanted that baseline all along because that's where the 1x1 is, but he read the defense. he goes straight to the base line, the defender can recover and there's help coming over. by zigzagin he's simultaneously pinning the help on the off ball side, while maintaing his 1v1. harder to defend than a straight up bull rush.

there's no offensive foul there. stop asking for the league to go softer.

[MoneyTalks41890]

When people start reaching for the crazy takes that’s how you know SGA has a comfortable lead here.

[Archx]

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

Hard to say, 2 completely different players and their style of play. Jokic doesn't get blitzed and doubled at the half court line, he absolutely wouldn't even survive the entire season if he played like a guard. So all in all, he does dominate the ball just in a different ways. Also, a ton of of Nuggets offense literally goes through him. What is impressive though is his efficiency, that is quite remarkable.

[Mavrelous]

10 games mark of missing both Gordon and Braun (Gordon played 4 minutes in one game, we'll ignore them), Murray is playing at all star level in this time, here are Jokic PBP stats:
1st 13 games:

On: 18.4 (~127 Off 109 Def)
Off: -4.6
On/off +23

Last 10 games:
On net rating: 4.3 (~127 Off 123 Def)
Off net rating: 1.2 (~118 Off 117 Def)

On/off: +3.1

Murray is much more impactful at +15 on/ff
Food for though when making conclusions about players "valuablity" based on on/off, or deriving wrong conclusion from them.

[Optms]

That's wasn't a very good game for SGA's MVP case, OKC won by 30 points without SGA. I think it's a similar situation as with the Spurs, OKC is probably as good without SGA as it is with him. If your team is winning by 30 points without you then you aren't the the most valuable player are you? Meanwhile the Lakers won thanks to Luka's 31 / 15 / 11 triple double while their bench scored only 10 points. Now that's a text book most valuable player situation.

At this point the race is between Luka and Jokic with Luka in the clear lead. I feel Jokic has to improve his defense and rim protection to have a chance.

I agree that Luka is ahead of Joker. And has been for a while.

Leading a 17-6 team that has no business being this good and doing so while the Lakers have been injury plagued all year. Defense isn't as awful as Jokic's either. Luka clearly ahead.

[Chokic]

Sga scoring at 0.98 points per minute at 69%TS 56/44/88 shooting split. That efficiency on that scoring volume from a big is incredible coming from a guard is unbelievable. Okc on pace to break gsw record. Should he sustain this efficiency and producfion this is runaway mvp for sga.


For reference remember how good of a shooter Steve Nash Dirk and Steph Curry were at their peak?

Dirk mvp season

24 8 and 3 on
60.5 TS% 50/40/90

Steph Curry mvp season

30 6 and 5 on
66.9 TS% 50/45/90

Steve Nash mvp season

18 10 and 4 on
63% TS 51/44/92

[Mavrelous]

Sga scoring at 0.98 points per minute at 69%TS 56/44/88 shooting split. That efficiency on that scoring volume from a big is incredible coming from a guard is unbelievable. Okc on pace to break gsw record. Should he sustain this efficiency and producfion this is runaway mvp for sga.


For reference remember how good of a shooter Steve Nash Dirk and Steph Curry were at their peak?

Dirk mvp season

24 8 and 3 on
60.5 TS% 50/40/90

Steph Curry mvp season

30 6 and 5 on
66.9 TS% 50/45/90

Steve Nash mvp season

18 10 and 4 on
63% TS 51/44/92

I use rTS or TS+ to see how it compares to the rest of the league, not isolated TS%.
SGA is at 118 TS+, Nash had 118 in 05, Steph had 119 and 124 in his MVP season, both were better than SGA in this aspect.