If you don't pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for 2025-26 NBA MVP, you're overthinking it

The 2025-26 NBA MVP race has been a relatively contested one, with four players standing out from the rest of the pack. We have already looked at the cases made by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wemanyama , Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (pre-injury) and the one for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic . Today, we're going to tell you why, despite the cases you can make for those players, the strongest argument is still in favor of the reigning league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , who has been simply magnificent in 2025-26.

The case for Gilgeous-Alexander The case for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP candidacy is simple: He’s by far the best player on the team with the best record (and best net rating) in the league. The Thunder are 62-16 this season, 2. 5 games ahead of the Spurs and 11.

5 games ahead of the third-place Nuggets. In addition, Oklahoma City's net rating is +11. 6 is likewise the most dominant mark in the NBA.

Team record is a huge factor in MVP voting every year, so the Thunder’s regular-season success will, without a doubt, help Gilgeous-Alexander's case to a huge extent. Some of the advanced analytics also favor the Canadian superstar, as Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in Win Shares ( 15. 0 ) and Win Shares per 48 Minutes ( 0.