NBA MVP Rankings: SGA in pole position for silverware

With the 2024-25 campaign now in its second half, here's a look at the 10 players who are making the strongest case for the NBA's most prestigious individual accolade.

The NBA's 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards means some stars are already ruled out, such as Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant.

Previous: Not Ranked

Sabonis has been fantastic for a surging Sacramento Kings squad that has only lost once in 2025. De'Aaron Fox is the team's leading scorer, but he has a negative on-off differential per 100 possessions (minus-4). Sabonis, on the other hand, is in the league's 95th percentile; Sacramento is plus-9.4 per 100 possessions when he's on the court.

It's uncommon to find a big man who can score, create for others, and rebound at a high level. Sabonis, the Association's leading rebounder, is elite at all three. Only three players are averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game this season - Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Sabonis.

Previous: Not Ranked

Jackson is a steadfast force for the Grizzlies. Ja Morant missed his 18th game Friday, which means the guard won't reach the 65-game award minimum. Jackson, meanwhile, has been more than just available; he's been dominant at both ends. The 25-year-old is averaging a career-best and team-high 22.6 points on slightly lower usage (28.4%) than last year (30.2%), and he's pairing a personal-best 1.5 steals per game with 1.7 blocks.

It isn't a stretch to say the former Defensive Player of the Year is a bigger factor in Memphis' success this season than anyone else. He's one of just two Grizzlies to play over 1,000 minutes this season, and the team's net rating is at its second worst (4.1) when he sits.

Previous: Not Ranked

Wembanyama is the front-runner in the race for Most Improved Player due to his stellar defensive play. He leads the league in total blocks (144) and blocks per game (4) by a wide margin and recently won the NBA's new Defensive Player of the Month award. The 21-year-old is also the first player this century to average more than four swats and holds the 15th-highest figure in a single season.

The Spurs are continuing to let Wembanyama experiment offensively, allowing him to handle the ball and create opportunities for himself and teammates instead of using him in a defined role. The French phenom will only become more versatile with time - a truly alarming thought for opposing teams.

Previous: 8

It's hard to overstate how much work Davis has to do to fill the holes in the Los Angeles Lakers' porous defense. Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and the recently traded D'Angelo Russell deserve some of the blame, but the No. 1 culprit is LeBron James. The 40-year-old's minus-9.2 is the fifth-worst plus-minus per 100 possessions in the NBA (minimum 600 minutes played).

Davis is third in the Association with 2.2 blocks per game. Only Wembanyama and Dyson Daniels boast more stocks (steals plus blocks) per game than Davis' average of 3.5, and the 31-year-old continues to improve his efficiency on the offensive side of the court. He's averaging the second-highest 2-point field-goal percentage of his career to go along with his best assist rate (17%) since he joined the Lakers in 2019.

Previous: 7

The self-proclaimed "greatest shooting big man of all time" is certainly living up to the moniker this season. Towns is on pace to become the only 7-footer in league history to shoot over 44% from downtown over the course of a season with at least four attempts per game.

But the remainder of Towns' game is also evolving after he moved to NYC in the offseason. The 29-year-old is the NBA's second-leading rebounder, and his 2.6 turnovers per game are the fewest since his junior season in 2017-18. Towns' contribution to the team becomes most apparent when he's absent from New York's lineup - the 27-16 Knicks possess a 2-3 record in the five games without the former No. 1 pick and are a combined minus-27 in those contests.

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Something has been bogging down the Celtics' shooting since the new year, including Tatum's. He was knocking down just 30.9% of his team-high 9.7 long-range attempts per game until Friday, when he went 4-for-9 against the Orlando Magic. However, the troubles returned immediately in their next game against the Atlanta Hawks. Tatum went 7-for-21 from the field and 2-of-9 from three as Boston fell in overtime.

But despite his shooting troubles, Tatum is still averaging 25.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, five assists, and 1.4 steals per game in January. Those numbers are helping the Celtics stay within touching distance of the Cavs and above the mess beneath them in the East standings.

Previous: 6

The offensive engine of the league's best team deserves some recognition for MVP. Donovan Mitchell remains potent despite averaging the fewest amount of points since his rookie season. His improved shot selection is contributing to the team's success and allowing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to focus on scoring.

What's holding him back from the top three are his performances against the Western Conference's best team. Mitchell averaged 9.5 points, four rebounds, and three assists while shooting 19% from the field in two contests against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Antetokounmpo is flying under the radar in the MVP conversation. He's averaging more points per game than Nikola Jokic and as many as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s leading scorer.

The Greek Freak finds himself taking on more offensive responsibility, as only one other player on the team is averaging more than 13.3 points – Damian Lillard, who looks more comfortable in his second full season in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo's scoring allowed the Bucks to recover from a 2-8 start to the season and is driving his MVP campaign.

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How can you sum up the two-time reigning MVP's performance this season without repeating yourself? Here's one way - he's the only player in the NBA to rank in the top three in points (third, 30.1), rebounds (third, 13.2), and assists (second, 9.9) per game. No player has ever led all three categories by season's end, but Jokic is showing it can be done.

It's bewildering how much worse the Nuggets are without him on the court. They understandably regress offensively when he sits, but their defensive rating also suffers each time he's on the bench. Jokic has never been regarded as an elite defensive big, but he's providing irreplaceable value for Denver at both ends this season.

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At some point, we need to reward the most impactful player on the NBA's most dominant team. It's why Gilgeous-Alexander has leapfrogged Jokic and Antetokounmpo for the No. 1 spot in our MVP rankings.

The Thunder are smothering teams with their defense, and Gilgeous-Alexander has been elite on that end of the floor. Opponents are shooting a measly 40.8% when being guarded by the two-time All-Star.

The Kentucky product is also the straw that stirs Oklahoma's offense. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's leading scorer and is averaging nearly 11 more points than his closest teammate (Jalen Williams is scoring 20.6 points per game). The 6-foot-6 guard does most of his damage inside the paint. He leads the league with 21.3 drives per contest and is shooting 71.6% within five feet of the rim. To put that into context, Shaquille O'Neal shot 71.7% around the rim during his 1999-00 MVP season with the Los Angeles Lakers.