The 2025 NBA MVP race is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory with Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic at the forefront.
Despite standout performances from All-Stars across the league, this year’s MVP race has become a two-horse race with reigning three-time MVP Jokic battling it out with Gilgeous-Alexander for the top gong.
Read on as TIBS News chip in on the discussion and try to work out how this competition will unfold.
Nikola Jokic
The reigning MVP is on the charge for his fourth, yes fourth, MVP award in five years and is doing so pretty convincingly.
The Denver Nuggets center has been putting up some ridiculous numbers recently, – including a 30-20-20 night as well as a 61-point triple-double. These two performances are ridiculous individually, the 30-20-20 is two triple-doubles in one and a 61-point triple-double has never been done before! Then take into consideration that these two performances have taken place in the same season!
Averaging a triple-double with just under 30 points a game, the stats are never the full story with the Serbian. Watching Jokic play, it’s quite clear he is miles ahead of any center in the league as well as any player; he is just so skilled in every aspect.
The no-look passes, the one-leg fadeaway three pointers and the full-court Euro step buzzer beaters are all in Jokic’s bag and he does all these things so effortlessly making him a joy to watch.
Now, why should we be MVP over his competition? Jokic is putting up these numbers and leading a winning Denver with no real help, making his winning and stats all the more impressive.
The Nuggets do not rely solely on Jokic as they have many other pieces in their roster they can rely on, such as Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, but the centerpiece of their offence is the Joker himself.
The stats and gameplay won’t be taking into consideration for the MVP race as both of the frontrunners are excelling. If it came down to a playing-style then the MVP would be picked in a biased manner, so ultimately it will come down to wins – something league-leading Thunder dominate and therefore indicate going Gilgeous-Alexander’s way.
However, it seems to be general consensus that Jokic is the best player in the world which is baffling when you consider that he won’t be winning another MVP.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gunning for his first MVP award, the 26-year-old point guard is a more than worthy choice to be the standout player of the 2024-25 season.
Leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No 1 seed in the Western Conference, as well as close to a 70-win season, he is at the forefront of this title-pushing term. Averaging just under 33 points a game, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in scoring as well as tallying 6.5 assists a game, which is a career-high.
A key reason why fans are shouting for him to win this year’s MVP is due to his record, the Thunder with Shai are +16.8 whilst only +4.3 without, as well as the team’s success playing a role in deciding the league’s best player.
This has been seen countless times and one from recent history that stands out is the 2019 race where we saw Giannis Antetokounmpo win the trophy over James Harden, who statistically had a better year than the winner but the 2018-19 season saw the Milwaukee Bucks boast a record of 60 wins opposed to the Houston Rockets’ 53.
I can see this year’s race following a similar suit, looking into games won as it’s so hard to split the two frontrunners this year. Gilgeous-Alexander has a phenomenal mid-range shot and it’s a great thing to see the resurgence of this lost art which he uses to make lazy defenders pay on the pick-and-roll. His speed and ability to get to the rack is another reason why the young man is putting up over 30 points a game.
But one criticism that is regularly brought up when discussing him and his scoring prowess is his foul-baiting/amount of free throws he shoots. The Thunder’s No 2 averages nine free-throws a game, shooting them at a rate of 90.1% leading to the fans labelling him a ‘free-throw merchant’. However, the nine attempts a game are actually below the averages of 15 out of the last 18 MVPs, so the narrative seems to be the way of obtaining these free-throws that are the problem.
So, will the ‘free-throw merchant’ agenda affect Gilgeous-Alexander’s chance of lifting the MVP trophy? Personally, I prefer Jokic’s play style but in any other year with Gilgeous-Alexander playing like he is, he would be the runaway MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo an outside NBA MVP contender?
Whilst the aforementioned duo are miles ahead of anyone else in the MVP race, there are still some other – albeit unlikely – candidates.
One of those players is former MVP Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks forward has been turning back the clock this season averaging 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists a game. These stats can’t be ignored especially when considering how pivotal he is for the Bucks. Without him, the Bucks have a 7-7 record, averaging 111 points, opposed to a 39-27 record averaging five more points a game.
These stats may not seem crazy but what is striking is the longevity and robustness of the Greek forward missing only 14 games this year. So maybe he should be in the discussion for MVP.
But as mentioned, the two frontrunners are so far ahead of the rest of the pack that it would be silly to even consider someone other than Jokic of Gilgeous-Alexander winning the award.
Nikola Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for NBA MVP?
Overall, I can see the MVP going to Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite personally preferring Jokic and his style, the league will prioritise wins.
I would love to see Jokic win his fourth MVP this year, placing him in an elite group of players to earn the award that many times. Either way this goes, we haven’t seen a race like this in years and it’s fun to watch it all unfold.
Who do you think should be the MVP? Let us know in the comment section.
