After a rematch between Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic came down to the wire for MVP, the two candidates are projected to face off a third time in 2025-26. Coming off of finishing runner-up against the three-time MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander beat Jokic with 71 first-place votes to The Joker’s 29, out of 100 total media votes. However, what is the NBA personnel saying before the upcoming season?
Ahead of 2025-26, Jokic is crowned the best player in the association and edges out Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP, according to an NBA offseason survey, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“While there has been a nip-and-tuck battle for MVP between Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander over the past few seasons — and our survey projects another — there was little debate about who the single best NBA player is at the moment,” Bontemps wrote. “That would be Jokic, as the Thunder star and reigning MVP didn’t receive any votes, and only a stray one for Doncic separated Jokic from becoming the first unanimous selection for this honor across the seven years the survey has been conducted.
While most agree Gilgeous-Alexander deserved MVP in light of the dominating season the Thunder had, Jokic is still considered the NBA’s most talented player despite losing to Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
“As long as he’s walking and breathing,” one East executive said of the Serbian superstar, “it should be him.”
While Jokic wasn’t a unanimous choice, he is the first player to be selected for a third time, edging Antetokounmpo’s top finishes in 2021 and 2022 in the seven years ESPN has conducted these preseason surveys. Jokic also beat out SGA, 7-5, for the 2026 MVP award.
Draymond Green’s take on Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew many takes on his “free-throw merchant” label throughout 2024-25. Warriors veteran Draymond Green offered his take on Gilgeous-Alexander, explaining SGA’s ability to draw trips to the free-throw line. For Green, it’s a skillset and not something people should use as a knock on Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive prowess, he said, per Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream.
“He’s going to get you a bucket. People are complaining that he’s drawing fouls, but that’s a skill,” Green said. “There’s an art to it. If you’re a dumb defender and you foul, that’s your fault.”
In his seventh NBA season, Gilgeous-Alexander put together one of the best seasons the NBA has seen from a player on both sides of the floor in recent years. Aside from leading the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game, SGA also finished second in total steals (131). Gilgeous-Alexander and Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo were the only players to average at least 30 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game.
