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There is no stopping the Oklahoma City Thunder. A total of 15 straight teams have tried, and all of them have failed, resulting in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and this team finding themselves on a 15-game win streak, the longest streak in franchise history. At this point, he has the stats and the team success backing him, which is why Gilgeous-Alexander is the clear favorite for the NBA MVP award at this juncture.
What the Thunder have accomplished so far this season is amazing. Last season provided the league with a glimpse of Oklahoma City's full potential when they won the 1-seed in the Western Conference, and now this young group is proving that their success can be sustained. More importantly, they are doing all of this without Chet Holmgren on the floor, who is arguably their second-best player behind Gilgeous-Alexander.
It isn't like the Thunder are beating up on bad teams either, as they recently defeated the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in back-to-back games. A win over the defending champions has caught the full attention of the league, yet this is just another game for the Thunder.
“It's one of 82, like I told you before the game. Every game's a different challenge. We're all running our own race. We happen to be bumping against them,” Daigneault told reporters after Oklahoma City's 105-92 win over Boston. “We'll go our separate ways. So will they… the reason we're in the position we are right now is because we've improved, and we've had our heads down and been very present in competition, and if we want to continue to improve, that's what we have to continue to do.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are now 30-5 with a month until the NBA trade deadline. This team has proven that they have what it takes to be true title contenders, and should their string of success continue, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Gilgeous-Alexander isn't named the MVP of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 10 |Week 9 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2024-25 season stats: 35 games, 31.3 points, 6.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocks, 52.4 FG%, 36.0 3P%
Gilgeous-Alexander is like a young Kawhi Leonard in a way because he lets his two-way play speak for itself rather than hyping up his stats or the team during his interviews. Every day is a new day for Gilgeous-Alexander to simply do his job, and he does that for the Thunder better than virtually anyone else in the league.
During the Thunder's 15-game win streak, Shai has averaged 33.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from three-point range. He hasn't scored below 22 points in any of these games, and SGA has scored at least 30 points 11 different times during the win streak.
The Thunder are the top team in the NBA, and Gilgeous-Alexander has been the most efficient two-way player, which is why he is the favorite for the MVP award.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous ranking: #2
2024-25 season stats: 31 games, 31.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 55.3 FG%, 47.3 3P%
Nikola Jokic closed out 2024 in a huge way with a 36-point, 22-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double that looked like something out of a video game. He then went on to average 36.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 11.3 assists per game and lead the Denver Nuggets to a 3-1 record this past week en route to being named the Western Conference Player of the Week.
The only game Denver lost was 113-110 to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, a game where Jokic had 41 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists.
At this point, Jokic's stats speak for themselves. These are numbers deserving of a fourth MVP award for The Joker, yet Denver has split their two matchups with Oklahoma City and Gilgeous-Alexander this season. Not to mention, they remain 9.5 games back of the Thunder in the standings. Voter fatigue is a real thing, and MVP voters around the NBA will easily look to Gilgeous-Alexander and what he's doing before giving Jokic the end-of-season award once more.
3. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
Previous ranking: #4
2024-25 season stats: 33 games, 28.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 46.2 FG%, 36.9 3P%
Unfortunately for Jayson Tatum, his magnificent season continues to be overshadowed by the brilliance of Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
Like Jokic, Tatum put together an MVP-like week for the Celtics, averaging 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while leading his team to a 3-1 record. With their only loss coming against the Thunder, Tatum earned himself Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors.
This has been one of Tatum's best seasons in the league so far, as his 9.4 rebounds per game average is a career high, along with his 5.5 assists per game. While he may not have the backing for the MVP award, Tatum will undoubtedly earn his fourth straight All-NBA First Team honors.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Previous ranking: #3
2024-25 season stats: 27 games, 32.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, 60.1 FG%
After defeating the Thunder in the NBA Cup, Giannis Antetokounmpo only played in one of the Milwaukee Bucks' first four games after this championship game due to an illness. Now that he is back on the floor, Giannis is looking to lead the Bucks to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Unfortunately for them, this team has lost four of their last five.
Overall, this is not due to Giannis whatsoever, as the Bucks' big man has averaged 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game since battling his illness.
Antetokounmpo still leads the NBA in scoring and ranks sixth in rebounding. If the Bucks can climb back up the standings and compete near the top with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, then Giannis will gain MVP attention.
5. Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks
Previous ranking: #5
2024-25 season stats: 24 games, 25.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 55.0 FG%, 44.0 3P%
There is no denying that Karl-Anthony Towns has been having his best season. Aside from leading the league in rebounding, Towns is averaging 25.3 points per game in his first year with the New York Knicks, his highest scoring average since the 2019-20 season.
The Knicks have leaned on Towns to be the co-captain of their offense along with Jalen Brunson, and his shooting splits are reaching historic territory for a New York big man.
With a 24-14 record, the Knicks are two full games behind the Celtics for the 2-seed in the East. Should Towns continue to dominate offensively and New York passes Boston in the standings, Towns' MVP stock will rise.
Just missing the cut
6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (Ranked No. 6 last week)
7. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers (Ranked No. 8 last week)
8. Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers (Ranked No. 10 last week)
9. Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks (Ranked No. 7 last week)
10. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (Unranked last week)
