The NBA MVP race will depend on who can stay healthy over the final several weeks of the regular season. During the first half of the year, Nikola Jokic was on top of the MVP rankings, but then he suffered a knee injury, resulting in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overtaking him.
Now that Gilgeous-Alexander is out with an abdominal injury and Jokic is back on the court, it is the three-time MVP of the Denver Nuggets who has reclaimed the No. 1 spot after the All-Star break.
Jokic, even though he has missed 16 games, has built enough of a resume to win another MVP award.
In addition to averaging a triple-double and leading the league in triple-doubles (20) this season, Jokic is doing so while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from 3-point range. What Joker is accomplishing this season is something no other player has ever done, which is why it’s hard to ignore his case for the MVP award right now.
Since returning from his knee injury, Jokic has played in all seven of the Nuggets’ games, averaging 24.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor. As long as he continues to perform at this level while sidelining Gilgeous-Alexander, he will maintain a slight lead in the NBA MVP race.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | week 1
1. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets*
Previous ranking: #2
2025-26 season stats: 39 games, 28.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 59.0 FG%, 42.0 3P%
When Jokic was sidelined with a knee injury, Gilgeous-Alexander took firm control of the MVP rankings. It seemed as if no one would be able to oppose the reigning MVP of the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially since Jokic was headed to miss more than 17 games, which would have meant he could not qualify for end-of-season awards and honors.
However, Jokic missed 16 games due to his injury, meaning he could still miss one of the Nuggets’ 27 remaining games and still be in good position to win the MVP award. Whether or not he can truly accomplish his historic feat and win his fourth MVP will certainly be influenced by where the Nuggets finish in the West standings.
As well as Jokic has been performing since returning from a knee injury, the Nuggets are just 3-4 in their last seven games and are 6.5 games behind the West’s 1-seed Thunder. Denver is also 3.5 games behind Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in second place in the conference.
To once again cement himself as the league’s MVP, Jokic will need to continue performing at the same level while leading the Nuggets to victory. At this rate, if the Nuggets surpass the 55-win mark, it will be difficult to deny Jokic the MVP award.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2025-26 season stats: 49 games, 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 55.4 FG%, 39.0 3P%
Gilgeous-Alexander missed the Thunder’s last five games before the All-Star break due to an abdominal injury, and there has been no word on his status after Oklahoma City opens Friday night’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Right now, SGA doesn’t have to worry about missing 17 or more games to remain eligible for MVP, but missing more games is only an advantage for Jokic at this rate. The good news for the reigning MVP is that he had a full week during the All-Star break without playing any games to rest and recover, which will be beneficial to his health going forward.
Once Gilgeous-Alexander returns to play, he will find himself four consecutive 20-point performances away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record of scoring at least 20 points in 125 consecutive games.
Previous ranking: #4
2025-26 season stats: 47 games, 25.3 points, 9.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 46.2 FG%, 33.0 3P%
At the All-Star break, Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons found themselves with a 40–13 record. The last time the Pistons won 40 games before the All-Star break, they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after winning 64 games during the regular season.
It’s already been a historic season for Cunningham and the Pistons, but they know the work isn’t done yet. Cunningham has continued to elevate his game as the season has progressed, and the most underrated part of his game that no one wants to talk about is his defense.
It’s certainly not hard for Cunningham to make a case for being on the All-Defensive Team this year, and he has played a key role in keeping the Pistons second in defensive rating.
Following a 33-9-7 game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, the All-Star guard had a 28-7-9 game against the Toronto Raptors just before the All-Star break. It’s hard to ignore this type of performance on Cade’s MVP resume, especially with the Pistons on top of the East standings.
4. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers*
Previous ranking: #3
2025-26 season stats: 42 games, 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 47.3 FG%, 34.5 3P%
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic was sidelined heading into the All-Star break with a minor hamstring injury. The good news is that the Los Angeles Lakers are not worried about this injury at all, and he played some minutes during All-Star Weekend in LA.
Doncic has now missed 12 games this season, meaning he is only allowed to miss five more games to remain in the MVP race.
Doncic will need a strong finish to the season to overtake Gilgeous-Alexander or Jokic for the top spot in the MVP rankings, even if he led the league in scoring all year.
5. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs*
Previous ranking: #5
2025-26 season stats: 40 games, 24.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 51.1 FG%, 36.3 3P%
Since the beginning of February, Victor Wembanyama has averaged 26.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor. He ranked in the top 10 in scoring, rebounds and blocks during this period, in which he currently leads the league.
The fact that Wembley is recording these numbers while averaging less than 30 minutes per game makes him a true MVP candidate. Of course, leading the San Antonio Spurs to the third-best record in the NBA at the All-Star break is also notable.
Wembanyama is certainly on everyone’s radar entering the final stretch of the 2025-26 season, especially after his 40-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Lakers before the All-Star break. Only more extraordinary performances like this will earn him a boost in the MVP rankings.
just missing the cut
6. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics [Ranked No. 6 last week]
7. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves [Ranked No. 7 last week]
8. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers [Ranked No. 8]
9. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks [Ranked No. 10 last week]
10. Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets [Ranked No. 9 last week]
*Signals players are in danger of meeting the 65-game minimum threshold for awards/accolades.
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