Injuries always play a major role during every NBA season, and they are directly impacting this year's MVP race. Victor Wembanyama has already missed a handful of games as a result of his calf injury, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is also sidelined with his calf issue.
Both players are in danger of missing 17 or more games and being deemed ineligible for the MVP award. This year's NBA MVP race was even impacted before it even began since Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles injury in the playoffs last year for the Boston Celtics and may not play until the final month of this season.
Many thought this injury would severely limit the Celtics' overall potential and have them falling down the East standings, but Jaylen Brown has made sure to do everything in his power to keep Boston near the top of the standings.
The Celtics have won five straight games, the longest active win streak in the East, and they are now 15-9 overall, just four games back of the Detroit Pistons for first place.
Brown has been sensational this season, averaging a career-high 29.1 points and shooting an average of 21.6 shot attempts per game, the third-most in the NBA this season. Throughout his career, Brown has always been questioned alongside Tatum, and he's never had the chance to prove that he is a true superstar, even after winning the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
Now that he has been thrust into the top spot on the Celtics' roster, Brown is making the most of his opportunity, and he is proving to be the leader Boston needed this season. But it has not solely been Brown putting the Celtics in a position to succeed, as everyone has stepped up for Joe Mazzulla in the wake of Tatum being out.
Although he's the only All-Star on the roster, Brown recognizes his teammates' achievements thus far, and he knows that he wouldn't be able to find the success he has without them.
“It's easy to focus on what you see now, but if you go back to the preseason, we are in a much different space now,” Brown said after the team's recent 123-117 win over the New York Knicks. “There's been a huge amount of growth from a lot of guys. Neemy (Queta), Jordan (Walsh), Josh (Minott), even Baylor (Scheierman), Payton (Pritchard). We are continuing to take it one step at a time, but the best is yet to come.”
All of a sudden, with the East wide open, the Celtics are again proving that they can be a championship-worthy team past the quarter mark of the season. More specifically, Brown is proving that he has the capabilities to sustain his recent success and be in the MVP race with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and others.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2025-26 season stats: 23 games, 32.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 55.6 FG%, 44.3 3P%
At this point, it really isn't crazy to think that the Oklahoma City Thunder will break the Golden State Warriors' 73-9 record from the 2015-16 season. The Thunder are currently 23-1, and they are on pace to only lose three or four games this entire season.
Michael Jordan won the MVP award when the Chicago Bulls won 72 games during the 1995-96 season, and Stephen Curry won the award when the Warriors won 73 games. Why wouldn't Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win his second consecutive MVP award if the Thunder won over 70 games?
Gilgeous-Alexander has not been tested by any team in the 23 games he's played, and his streak of scoring 20 points has reached 95 consecutive games now after scoring 38 points against the Golden State Warriors, followed by 33 points against the Dallas Mavericks. He is now 31 straight games with 20-plus points away from breaking Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record of 127 consecutive games.
Regardless of the numbers Jokic and others are recording, Gilgeous-Alexander has the clearest path to winning his second straight MVP award. Unless he gets injured, it's hard to envision him and the Thunder falling off their pedestal.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous ranking: #2
2025-26 season stats: 23 games, 29.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 61.2 FG%, 41.4 3P%
Over the last week, Nikola Jokic averaged 30.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.3 assists per game while helping the Denver Nuggets go 3-1. Denver is now 17-6 this season, and the three-time MVP has done everything he can to keep his team in a championship position despite Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun being injured.
Obviously, it helps to have a dynamic scoring guard like Jamal Murray next to him, but Jokic recorded at least 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in all four of the Nuggets' games this past week. This included a terrific 40-point performance in the Nuggets' comeback effort against the Atlanta Hawks.
Jokic continues to lead the league in both triple-doubles and double-doubles by a wide margin, and he is currently fifth in scoring. The Nuggets star also leads the NBA in rebounding and assists, which is why he is very much in the MVP conversation with Gilgeous-Alexander right now.
The only reason Gilgeous-Alexander is ahead right now in the race is because of the Thunder's historic 23-1 start, which has them in prime position to contend for the best record in NBA history.
3. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers
Previous ranking: #3
2025-26 season stats: 17 games, 35.0 points, 9.2 assists, 9.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 47.2 FG%, 33.5 3P%
Although he only played two games this past week because of a personal matter, Luka Doncic was fantastic in both of these matchups.
He first had 38 points and 11 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns, and he recently returned from a two-game hiatus on Sunday, dropping 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in the team's 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. This was Doncic's second triple-double of the season.
The Lakers will play in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night, and they went 4-0 in group play because of Doncic's heroics. He currently leads the league with the highest scoring average in NBA Cup games of all time, and he leads the NBA in scoring this season at 35 points per game.
Doncic's MVP resume is spotless right now, other than the fact that he has missed six games and is only allowed to miss 11 more to remain eligible.
4. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons
Previous ranking: #5
2025-26 season stats: 21 games, 27.5 points, 9.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 45.2 FG%, 29.9 3P%
Despite some of the recent struggles for the Detroit Pistons, this team is still 19-5 because of Cade Cunningham's leadership.
Cade is the best player on the best team in the Eastern Conference, and he currently sits 11th in the league in scoring at 27.5 points per game. Cunningham and Jokic are the only players in the NBA this season averaging at least 27 points, nine assists, and six rebounds per game, which is why he is a true MVP candidate outside of just looking at his team's success.
His 23-point, 12-assist performance in the Pistons' 124-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday was Cunningham's 12th double-double of the season, tied for the eighth most in the NBA.
5. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics
Previous ranking: Not Ranked
2025-26 season stats: 23 games, 29.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 49.6 FG%, 36.3 3P%
With Giannis Antetokounmpo falling out of the MVP rankings after missing his eighth game of the season, Brown has entered the top five because of how well he's led the Celtics to this point.
Brown is not only one of six players averaging at least 29 points per game this season, but he has also scored at least 30 points in six of his last seven games. He can make it four straight games with at least 30 points on Thursday against the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks.
The Celtics are 15-9 this season and right behind both the Pistons and New York Knicks for the top spot in the East. Should his scoring numbers continue and Brown keep Boston in the Eastern Conference's championship equation, he will keep receiving MVP recognition.
Just missing the cut
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks [Ranked No. 4 last week]
7. Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks [Ranked No. 8 last week]
8. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets [Ranked No. 7 last week]
9. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs [Ranked No. 6 last week]
10. Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers [Ranked No. 10 last week]
