NBA fans saw MVP-worthy seasons from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić a year ago. The problem is, only one player can receive the honor each year.
Although Jokić wildly averaged a triple-double, Gilgeous-Alexander took home the first MVP award of his career after he led the NBA with 32.7 points per game for the league-best 68-14 Thunder. Both superstars had a strong case for MVP honors, but Gilgeous-Alexander's incredible season for the eventual NBA champions understandably won out.
The good news is they are both right back at it when the 2025-26 season tips off Tuesday as the Thunder are built for long-term success while the Nuggets reworked their roster to provide Jokić with potentially his best supporting cast yet. Although they are the early frontrunners for this year's award, there are plenty of other candidates who could hear their names in MVP conversations.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still putting up 30 points a night for the Bucks, while we have Luka Dončić's first full season as a Laker upon us. Plus, the NBA's youngest stars continue to improve toward their eventual takeover of the league. Victor Wembanyama is back after a shortened year two, y'all.
Without further ado, here's a list of potential NBA MVP candidates heading into the season, tiered in groupings from top to bottom:
The frontrunners: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić
Gilgeous-Alexander 2024-25 season stats: 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% from three.
Honors: NBA MVP, NBA Champion, Finals MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Star (third appearance)
Where else to start but last year's MVP and the league's top bucket-getter?
Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30 or more points a night in each of his past three seasons and hit another level last year over the Thunder's dominant season that resulted in an NBA title. He was the league's scoring leader last year, recording four 50-point games when no other player had more than two. Oklahoma City locked down his co-stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren over the offseason as the Thunder seem primed to make another run at the title. Gilgeous-Alexander's sky-high scoring is nearly a given, which makes him undoubtedly a top MVP candidate heading into the new season.
Jokić 2024-25 season stats: 29.6 points, 12.7 assists and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 41.7% from three.
Honors: All-NBA First Team, All-Star (seventh appearance)
Jokić averaging a triple-double and not winning the MVP speaks volumes to the type of season he had last year, and maybe even more about Gilgeous-Alexander's big year. Jokić finished second in MVP voting and was the only player to receive first-place votes besides Gilgeous-Alexander. The incredible big man put up career highs in points, rebounds and three-point percentage with the highest volume of attempts over his 10-year career. With an even better roster around him coming out of Denver's offseason, Jokić is a perennial MVP candidate as he continues to put up silly numbers to power the Nuggets as a title contender.
The next few: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Anthony Edwards
Antetokounmpo 2024-25 season stats: 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Honors: All-NBA First Team, All-Star (ninth appearance)
Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander are the only active players to average 30 or more points in each of the past three seasons. The Greek Freak already has two MVPs under his belt, but he hasn't won the award since 2020, when Jokić began his run of three MVP seasons in four years. He should still be near the top of the MVP chase, but his ability to win another hinges on the Bucks' success. They had a strong offseason, highlighted by the four-year deal inked with former Pacers big man Myles Turner. Milwaukee added Cole Anthony and re-signed Kevin Porter Jr. to bolster their guard room after Damian Lillard's injury and departure after two years with the Bucks. Even with a reworked roster, the Bucks should be able to compete in a wide open East. If not, maybe we see Antetokounmpo's long tenure with the Bucks come to a close.
Dončić 2024-25 season stats: 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
Dončić enters his first full year with the Lakers after the jaw-dropping trade which sent him from Dallas to L.A. at last season's trade deadline. He missed over a month of action to end his tenure with the Mavs, which held the superstar guard from his sixth All-Star appearance in a row. Even with LeBron James, the Lakers are Dončić's team. He'll carry an even bigger burden to start the year with James sidelined due to sciatica on his right side. Although a massive blow for L.A., James's early absence provides runway for Dončić to put up big numbers. If he can keep the Lakers near the top of a stacked Western Conference, he should certainly be in MVP talks.
Edwards 2024-25 season stats: 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 39.5% from three.
Honors: All-NBA Second Team, All-Star (third appearance)
The Wolves must excel for Edwards to become a legitimate contender for this year's MVP, but he's certainly the caliber of player to put up the numbers needed. Last year, he led the NBA in three-pointers made as he connected from deep on a 39.5% clip with 10.3 attempts per game. He averaged a career-high scoring number, which has steadily increased over each of his five seasons in the league. Should Ant-Man be able to hit an even greater level and lead the Wolves to the top of the Western Conference, MVP honors should come eventually.
Up-and-comers: Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham
Wembanyama 2024-25 season stats: 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.8 blocks per game.
Honors: All-Star (first appearance)
Although a longshot to win MVP honors this year, Wembanyama's time is coming. The French phenom's second season was cut short due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder discovered in February. Even though he only played in 46 games last year, he led the NBA in blocks by a landslide for the second time in two tries. If Wembanyama can lead the Spurs to the playoffs among a crowded Western Conference and put up similar numbers while staying healthy, he'll be in consideration for All-NBA First Team at the very least while likely receiving some MVP votes.
Cunningham 2024-25 season stats: 26.1 points, 9.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Honors: All-NBA Third Team, All-Star (first appearance)
Cunningham is another longshot, but he's quickly developed into one of the NBA's best guards while driving the Pistons' incredible turnaround last season. Detroit became the first team to triple their win total from a season prior thanks in large part to Cunningham's breakout. Last year, he averaged over nine assists per game and could quickly leap toward the echelon of Jokić and Trae Young, who were the only players to average 10 assists or more across the NBA last season. He has even more room to grow as a scorer, too, as he aims to get to the foul line more and hit threes at a greater volume.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Way Too Early NBA MVP Candidates Entering the 2025-26 Season.