We’re into the final quarter of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, and the MVP race remains as compelling as ever. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a stretch of games, the Detroit Pistons continue to hold the top spot in the East, and Nikola Jokić is flirting with the league’s games-played threshold.
Right now, three players stand in a tier of their own: Gilgeous-Alexander, the defending MVP; Cade Cunningham; and Jokić.
If the season ended today, this is how our ballot would look:
1. Cade Cunningham
Cunningham has played 156 more minutes than Gilgeous-Alexander. His 519 assists are 48 more than Jokić and comfortably ahead of everyone else in the league. The former No. 1 overall pick is also 10th in total scoring.
At this stage of the season, volume matters. The extra games and minutes Cunningham has logged are part of the value equation, and that’s before accounting for Detroit’s dependence on him.
The Pistons sit just one game behind the Thunder in the loss column, and their offense simply does not function without Cunningham. Everything flows through him. His size and toughness are also integral to Detroit’s elite defense.
This isn’t just about being the best player on a top team. It’s about being the engine that drives an offense leading the Eastern Conference, while holding up defensively and carrying one of the heaviest on-ball burdens in the league.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City is 10 points better per 100 possessions with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. His value is undeniable. An incredibly efficient scorer and a strong defender, there would be no outrage if SGA won back-to-back MVPs.
For now, though, Cunningham’s additional minutes matter. And as we saw during Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence, OKC is capable of treading water without him.
Schematically, the Thunder are not as dependent on SGA for their offense to function. He ranks 15th in assists per game and plays alongside multiple capable shot creators. While he is clearly the superior scorer compared to Cunningham, the team records are close enough that this becomes a value comparison.
At the time of writing, Cunningham holds a narrow edge.
3. Nikola Jokić
Jokić is averaging a triple-double and has posted some eye-popping numbers over the last couple of weeks. It’s worth noting, however, that the Nuggets are just 5-8 since the three-time MVP returned from injury.
Defensively, his effort has been inconsistent this season. Denver’s defense ranks in the bottom half of the league, and while that is not solely on him, it does factor into the overall value discussion. Offensively, he has had a few uncharacteristically inefficient shooting nights since returning and has turned the ball over at a higher rate than usual.
If he reaches the 65-game threshold, there is little doubt Jokić will finish in the top three of MVP voting. For now, though, it is difficult to place him ahead of Cunningham or Gilgeous-Alexander given their consistency and team impact.
4. Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey leads the NBA in total points, total minutes, and steals per game. He has carried the Sixers to six games above .500 despite Paul George being on track to play fewer than half the season and Joel Embiid once again drifting in and out of the lineup.
Maxey has been the one constant in Philadelphia. His effort rarely wavers, and his production matches it. Defensively, he’s a long way from Cunningham or Gilgeous-Alexander, but his importance to the Sixers cannot be overstated.
Fourth may feel slightly aggressive. Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Edwards, and others were in consideration. However, each has benefited from more stable roster situations for much of the season, while Maxey has shouldered a far heavier burden.
5. Donovan Mitchell
Maxey and Gilgeous-Alexander are the only players with more total points than Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland’s star guard has been the glue on a team that could have drifted during stretches of the season.
The Cavaliers are +8.3 per 100 possessions with Mitchell on the floor and -2.3 when he sits. This is the most complete offensive season of his career, and he appears poised to lead Cleveland to homecourt advantage in the first round.
Mitchell is not the offensive engine Cunningham is in Detroit, nor is he as efficient as Gilgeous-Alexander. There is a clear separation between those two and the next tier. Still, Mitchell and Maxey are deserving of recognition and should receive meaningful down-ballot support.
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