Throughout the year, the NBA MVP race has never been one-sided. Now, using recent rankings from the KIA race to the MVP ladder, the competition is stiffer than ever.
Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder are the two favorites for this year’s MVP. Jokić has won the award three out of the last four years and only came in second place the year he didn’t win.
The most recent update to the MVP ladder was on March 22, 2025, when the NBA ranked Shai ahead of Jokić. This marks the fifth straight time the first-place player didn’t remain in first place for the following ranking.
The last time a player kept the first overall spot in back-to-back rankings was on Feb 21, when Shai held first place for three straight weeks.
Although the race has been tightening up, statistics and overall performance show that the race shouldn’t be as close as it is. The MVP award is based on two large factors: a player’s performance and how their team performs through the regular season.
Shai has an impressive resume for this year’s MVP, leading the league in total scoring and points per game. He is also a known defensive presence, emerging as one of the league’s best two-way players. The Thunder are also first in the Western Conference, leading second place by over 10 wins.
Jokić may be a little behind on the scoring end and not as good defensively, but his case holds strong. He currently averages a 29-point triple-double, where he averages over 10 rebounds and 10 assists a game, along with impressive scoring numbers.
The problem for Shai is, as much as scoring is emphasized in comparisons, Jokić is top three in the NBA in points, assists, steals and rebounds per game. Jokić is a much more effective player offensively and has much less help around him.
Even with the Thunder’s winning ways, the Nuggets are still the third seed in the Western Conference. Many analysts and former players agree that without Jokić, the Nuggets wouldn’t even be a play-in team.
The “V” in MVP stands for valuable, and Jokić is undoubtedly more valuable to the Nuggets than Shai is to the Thunder, which is why he deserves to win the prestigious award.
