Zebra Sports NBA Kia MVP Ladder: Will it be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokić ?

Kia MVP Ladder: Will it be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokić ?

April 4, 2025April 4, 2025 nba.comnba.com 0 Comment 9:47 am
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Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are each closing the season out in the top 5 in scoring.

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Here’s a question with one week left in the race for the Kia MVP:

How will history reflect on the 2024-25 runner-up?

Will it say Nikola Jokić was unfairly treated?

Will it say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was robbed?

This topic needs to be raised because one of two deserving candidates — and it is a two-man race right now and has been for a while — will walk away with parting gifts (as in, a “nice try” comment or two).

There are a few such controversial cases in NBA history:

• Michael Jordan won 69 games and led the league in scoring in 1997 — and lost to Karl Malone.

• Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game, averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds — and lost to Bill Russell in 1962.

• And Shaquille O’Neal swears he deserved Steve Nash’s trophy in 2005.

This is a close race because Shai and Joker are finalizing historic seasons. Suppose Jokić arguably has the edge purely from an individual standpoint. In that case, Shai either pulls even or wipes out that deficit based on Oklahoma City’s dominant season and massive lead in the Western Conference standings.

So maybe the question is: How much should winning weigh in the conversation for an individual award?

That’s something every voter must decide for themselves.

Coming next week: The Kia MVP Ladder envelope, please.

Setting the stage this week: A total of five MVPs will share the floor Friday when the Nuggets and Warriors play. Those five, of course, are shared by two players, Jokić and Stephen Curry. Aside from the star power, this game has serious playoff seeding implications in the West, with both teams jostling for position. One might get the Lakers in the first round, then OKC in the second.

The stat to know: Jokić has a 60-10-10 game and a 30-20-20 game, both historic, both in the same season. Which one was more impressive? That’s like choosing between your favorite twin child.

What they are saying: “Nikola Jokić, bruh? Oh my God, he might be the best basketball player I’ve ever seen close up … the MVP race is crazy, man. I don’t know. I just don’t know.” — Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves after Jokic dropped a 61-point triple on Minnesota.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last ranking: No. 1
Season stats: 32.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists

His case: He leads the league in 50, 40, 30 and 20-point games. He scores with solid efficiency. And he’s one of the two best defenders on the league’s best defensive team.

That two-way balance, coupled with OKC bearing down on 65-plus wins, comprises an MVP. Whether he actually gets the award will be revealed next month.

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists

His case: He’s among the league leaders in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. He is by far the triple-double leader; he actually averages such. And he has a tendency to stockpile monster games like we’ve never seen before.

He’s coming off a 61-10-10, which would be an astronomical feat for about 99.9% of the league. For the Joker? That might not be his best performance of the season.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists

His case: Pencil Giannis in for 30 points and 10 rebounds whenever he’s penciled in the lineup, which lately hasn’t been too frequent. Once again, outside of Shai and Joker, no one has played at a consistently high level like Giannis.

With Damian Lillard’s injury uncertainty, Giannis’ worth to the Bucks is even higher. There’s a chance Giannis could finish with a worse record this season than anyone in the Ladder’s top five.

4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 27.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists

His case: With his two closest competitors, Kevin Durant and Jalen Brunson, dealing with injury issues, Tatum is all but guaranteed to finish in the top five in scoring.

He finished March forcefully, averaging 27.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists. A top-five MVP finish seems likely at this stage.

5. Stephen Curry, Warriors

Last ranking: No. 7
Season stats: 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists

His case: When he started the season slowly, missing 3s and stuck in inefficiency, Curry didn’t seem himself. Was he beginning the slow journey beyond his prime? Well, his response has been emphatic, to say the least.

Curry has been among the league’s better players since February, where he averaged 30.7 points that month. Not to mention the pair of 50-pieces afterward. Not to diminish the impact of newcomer Jimmy Butler — he has been helpful — but the Warriors’ rally began when Curry improved.

The Next 5

6. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
7. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
8. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
9. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

And five more (listed alphabetically): Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks; James Harden, LA Clippers; Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks; Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

* * *

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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