The murmurs started before the 2025 NBA season even tipped off: this MVP race was going to be one for the ages. Now, just a month into the schedule, those predictions feel less like hyperbole and more like a gross understatement. What we are witnessing is not a typical season-long horse race, but an instant, full-blown brawl for the crown, featuring a shocking lineup of five court-dominating giants.
The 2025 MVP conversation has been instantly narrowed down to an iconic five-man showdown: Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and the man who everyone keeps trying to dethrone, Nikola Jokic. They are not merely playing well; they are running the game like it belongs to them, making elite production look, frankly, way too easy. This early season battle already feels like something that will be talked about for years, and the absurdity of the numbers being posted is turning analysts into giddy, exhausted observers.
The Revolutionary and The Relentless: Wemby and Giannis
Two of the five contenders represent different timelines of generational dominance: the shockingly early arrival of a defensive savant, and the established, relentless force of a two-time MVP.
First, the phenom, Victor Wembanyama. Even with the looming threat of missing the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season awards—a rule that could complicate his path—Wemby has been, in the words of many, one of the coldest players in the entire league through the first month. His stats read like a typo for a veteran big man, let alone a player still navigating the initial shock of NBA speed. He is dropping 26.2 points and snagging 12.9 rebounds (leading the entire league in defensive boards) while casually throwing in four assists. The truly ridiculous number, however, is his monster 3.6 blocks per game, making him the league leader and delivering defensive shifts in real-time.
His efficiency is elite, rocking a 60.9% true shooting rate (2.6% better than league average). While the sample size is still tiny, the Spurs are 8-4 with him in the lineup, proving his impact on winning is immediate. More telling are the advanced metrics: defensively, the Spurs are 8.3 points worse without him on the floor, the biggest drop-off among any player in this MVP race. This translates to a strong +5.7 net rating, absolute proof that even this early, the game is changing every time he checks in.
Then there is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who continues to drop monster numbers as if nothing has changed. The “Greek Freak” is averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and a career-high 6.8 assists, all while bullying defenders with his built-different physique. He’s taking the most two-pointers in the league and knocking down an insane 64% of them. His overall true shooting percentage sits at a wild 66.2%, placing him roughly 8% above league average and deep in undisputed superstar territory.
Despite the Bucks sitting at a slightly underwhelming 7-7 record with him (1-1 without), his on/off numbers scream indispensable. The Bucks are an insane 21.8 points better on offense when Giannis is on the court—a virtually unheard-of impact that leads to a staggering +21 net rating. While his MVP talk is currently tricky due to the stacked competition and team record, if the Bucks start rolling, Giannis could storm right back to the top spot like nothing ever happened.
The Clutch Contenders: Shai and Luka
The two guards in this race are offering seasons of offensive brilliance, with one leading the league’s most shocking team and the other leading the entire league in scoring.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the smoothest scorer in the game right now, moving with a controlled deceleration that makes every defender look stuck in slow motion. SGA’s line is a masterpiece of efficiency and volume: 31.9 points, 6.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and a near-block per game. His efficiency is elite, with a 66% true shooting percentage (7.7% above league average). He’s attacking at all three levels, hitting 59% on twos and, critically, maintaining a 38.5% clip from deep on nearly six attempts. If this level of three-point consistency holds, he becomes virtually unguardable.
But what pushes him to the true elite level of MVP contention is his team’s utterly ridiculous record. The Thunder stand at a near-perfect 15-1, with one of the highest point differentials in league history. When Shai sits, OKC’s offense drops badly to a 106 rating, confirming that the squad leans on him far more than people realize. With him on the floor, they are 20.6 points better offensively, proving he keeps the entire team humming at a superstar level. His +4.7 net rating combined with the team’s record makes arguing against him increasingly difficult.
Then we have Luka Doncic, who is currently leading the entire league in scoring, dropping an absurd 34.6 points a night. Unless injuries intervene, it is genuinely tough to imagine anyone catching him for the scoring title this season. He adds nine assists, 8.5 rebounds, and nearly two steals per game, giving us one of the most complete offensive seasons seen in years. Luka is elite inside the arc, hitting 61.7% of his two-pointers by using timing and angles like a chess grandmaster.
His Achilles’ heel remains the three-point shot, where he’s launching a league-high nearly 11 attempts a game but only hitting at a 31.7% clip. Defenses are happy to let him fire away from deep because the second he steps inside the arc, it’s automatic. Still, his overall true shooting percentage of 61.7% is a career-best in efficiency while leading the league in scoring. The Mavericks stand at 8-3 with him, and his +7.4 net rating shows solid impact, even if it’s not as massive as some of the other candidates. Luka’s ability to generate production, coupled with his scoring volume, keeps him firmly locked into the MVP conversation.
The Unstoppable Force: Nikola Jokic Reclaims the Throne
Finally, we arrive at Nikola Jokic, the two-time MVP who everyone—analysts and fans alike—keeps trying to push out of the race, but who calmly walks right back in like he owns the whole building. The narrative of “voter fatigue” is a yearly tradition, yet every year, he makes himself impossible to ignore.
This season actually started “slow” for Jokic by his own insane standards. But the moment November showed up, he snapped awake and decided it was time to remind everyone who truly runs the league. Since then, he has been on another planet. He is currently averaging a stunning line of 29.1 points, a league-leading 13.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 11.1 assists. That is, for all intents and purposes, a 30-point triple-double. On top of that, he adds 1.6 steals and nearly a block per game, stuffing every part of the stat sheet like it’s a daily routine.
The scoring efficiency is what makes his performance truly jaw-dropping. His true shooting percentage sits at a mind-bending 73.6%, which is about 16 points higher than league average. When you first see that number, it looks fake. Hitting 65.7% on twos and a smooth 40% from three on almost five attempts makes defending him a total nightmare, as no one else in the league possesses his unique mix of size, skill, versatility, and efficiency.
Jokic’s impact translates directly into wins. The Nuggets are rolling at 11-3, and the advanced numbers paint the full picture of dominance. When Jokic is on the floor, the Nuggets are 19.4 points better offensively and 2.7 points better defensively. That combined total creates a +22.2 net rating, one of the single most dominant numbers in the entire NBA, proving his presence shifts the entire game every time he checks in.
The argument that Jokic is the best player in basketball right now is cemented by the fact that he runs Denver’s entire offense like a point guard trapped in a center’s body. His vision, touch, and patience make everything he does look effortless, as if the entire court is moving at his pace while everyone else is scrambling to keep up. While the media and fans may want a fresh face, the numbers are too wild to pretend they’re not happening. In every major category—points, assists, rebounds, efficiency, and wins—he is sitting near the top or flat-out leading the league.
If the season ended today, the final consensus would likely be impossible to ignore. Jokic’s absurd numbers and league-best impact make him the MVP without hesitation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team success and elite efficiency place him firmly at number two, with Luka Doncic’s scoring volume and completeness securing the third spot. Giannis and Wembanyama remain in the fight, but the top three are defining the race.
We are truly witnessing something special—an MVP race that compares only to the iconic five-way battle of 1988 featuring Bird, Magic, Jordan, Hakeem, and Barkley. This 2025 cohort—Jokic, Shai, Luka, Giannis, and Wemby—feels just as iconic, and we are lucky enough to watch it unfold in real time. Jokic is leading the charge like a true giant, putting together a performance that looks unreal even on paper, and daring the rest of the league to try and catch him.
