Over the past few years, a few names have consistently appeared in NBA MVP conversations. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won three MVPs over the past five seasons. The Serbian has only lost out on the award twice. First to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in 2023, and then to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025. Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is another name consistently in the top 10 in MVP rankings.
Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has climbed to number five, with solid performances all season long. Brown’s statistics have receded slightly with the return of Jayson Tatum into the Celtics’ rotation, as Tatum attempts to return to playoff shape.
Doncic is ranked number four this year. Jokic holds the number three. Gilgeous-Alexander stands at the number two spot. So who is number one?
How Does Victor Wembanyama Compare In The MVP Race?
An Appeal For MVP
After a recent win against the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama told reporters that he would like to win both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembanyama’s claim to the DPOY throne remains largely unchallenged. Sources list the 7’4 Frenchman as the favorite to win the award at — 599 odds. The next closest candidate is OKC Thunder center Chet Holmgren, with + 500 odds.
Should Wembanyama win both awards, he would become just the fourth player in NBA history to win both awards in a single season.
However, the race between the top three MVP candidates is quite close. Gilgeous-Alexander is having a historic season, notably breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s record of 126 consecutive 20-point games. Jokic, on the other hand, is comfortably averaging a triple-double.
Out of the three, Wembanyama averages the least number of points, assists, and minutes. He is right behind Jokic in rebounds (Wembanyama’s 11.3 to Jokic’s 12.9). While all three average roughly one steal a game, Wembanyama leads the league in blocks, averaging roughly 3.1 per game, a statistic where Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander slightly lack.
This was one of Wembanyama’s arguments as to why he should win the MVP this season.
“My first one would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race. I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league.”
A Wrinkle In His MVP Case
The only challenge that stands in the way of the French superstar taking home both awards is the NBA’s 65-game rule.
Introduced in the 2023–24 season, the rule states that an NBA player must play at least 65 games (roughly 79% of an 82-game regular season) to be eligible for All-NBA Teams and major awards. Wembanyama will have to play in six of the Spurs’ last eight games to qualify for both awards.
While Gilgeous-Alexander is just two games away from reaching 65 games, Jokic and Wembanyama are in a little more of a fix. Jokic will have to play practically all of the Nuggets’ next six games to get over the 65-game cutoff. Wembanyama, on the other hand, will have to play six of the Spurs’ next eight games for him to reach the cutoff.
Against His Case
There are a few other things against Wembanyama’s MVP case as well. In an interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Wembanyama stated that offensive impact could not simply be measured using points-per-game averages. While the reasoning behind Wembanyama’s argument is sound, it is one that favors his opponents’ cases more than his own.
On average, Gilgeous-Alexander creates about 17.6 points off his assists. The number rises for Jokic, who creates 27.8 points per game off assists. This figure is likely accentuated by the fact that both Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander average significantly more assists than Wembanyama.
Lastly, teams have turned to some unconventional methods to slow down the French big man. In a matchup against the Lakers, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was the primary defender on Wembanyama. Being 6’8, Hachimura may not be the first option when considering a player to guard the massive Wembanyama, particularly when the Lakers have a big man such as DeAndre Ayton. However, Hachimura on Wembanyama left Ayton free to prevent any lob threats. While Wembanyama did finish with 19 points, he shot less than 40% from the field overall.
Awkward matchups don’t appear to be Wembanyama’s cup of tea yet. Some suggest that one more off-season working with Hakeem Olajuwon on his post-up game could help Wembanyama punish smaller defenders in the paint. Based on Wembanyama’s existing skill set, this may be something that he will be able to learn quickly. The former number one overall pick’s mobility is unlike anything seen from players his size in the past.
So, does Wembanyama really deserve to win the NBA’s MVP trophy?
Featured Image: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
