It looked like the NBA MVP race would be boring after Nikola Jokic‘s injury. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is basically guaranteed to win it, but now there is a battle to see who will be in second place. Since the beginning of the season, Luka Doncic has consistently been the player mentioned after Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. But now, a pair of Eastern Conference Superstars have closed the gap.
While Doncic, Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown have been battling, Jokic has been getting healthier. Jokic has resumed on-court workouts, and Shams Charania said he is a little bit ahead of schedule. If Jokic returns while it is still possible for him to play 65-games, he will be the one in second place.
Tier 1: The MVP
No. 1 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 31.9 PPG/ 4.5 RPG/ 6.4 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 1
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the obvious MVP choice. He is a lock for his second-straight MVP award unless he gets injured or Jokic plays 65+ games. There should probably be a two-tier gap between SGA and the runner-ups. He is going to break Wilt Chamberlain‘s record of consecutive games scoring 20-points; he’s currently at 111 and needs 126.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the best team; he’s the best scorer in the NBA, he doesn’t turn the ball over, and he’s very efficient. Plus, he has been clutch when he is needed in the fourth quarter.
There is nothing negative you can say about Gilgeous-Alexander, and even if Jokic comes back before missing 17 games, SGA will still be the front-runner.
https://twitter.com/ESPNInsights/status/2011282127376044196?s=20
Tier 2: Runner-ups
No. 2 – Luka Doncic, 33.6 PPG/ 7.9 RPG/ 8.8 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 2
Luka Doncic continues to put up ridiculous stat lines this season. He started the new year with four straight 30+ point games, including a 38-point triple-double. He dropped 42 points in game one of a back-to-back, then followed it up with a 27-point, 12-assist performance in a blowout win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Box score watchers may wonder why Doncic isn’t even a discussion for the top spot. He averages the highest points-per-game in the NBA and is a walking triple-double, but he is also the league leader in turnovers-per-game and has very poor efficiency.
The gap is closing between Doncic and the rest, but his recent play keeps him at No. 2 for another ladder.
No. 3 – Cade Cunningham, 26.7 PPG/ 6.2 RPG/ 9.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 6
Cade Cunningham jumps up a tier and joins Doncic. He must have seen that the last ladder had him at No. 6, because he has proved that he should be the No. 1 candidate from the Eastern Conference. He is second in the NBA in assists-per-game and has led the Pistons to the second-best record in the NBA.
Cunningham has not scored under 27 points in 2026 and has had dominant performances against other players on this list. He was two rebounds shy of a 30-point triple-double on New Year’s Day against the Heat, but his jump up the ladder came against the Knicks. Cunningham and the Pistons completely outplayed the Knicks and potential MVP candidate Jalen Brunson. It is clear that Cunningham should’ve never dropped below Brunson and Jaylen Brown.
No. 4 – Jaylen Brown, 29.5 PPG/ 6.4 RPG/ 5.0 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 5
Jaylen Brown joins Cunningham in moving up a tier. Brown was probably the best player in the NBA in December, other than Jokic. He scored 30-points in all but one game, and has to be considered for the No. 2 spot in the MVP race. Brown already has a 50-point game in 2026 and has shown triple-double potential since the last ladder, with two straight games of eight rebounds and seven assists.
If Brown can continue his scoring surge from December and consistently add rebounds and assists, he can make a push for No. 2 on this list.
Tier 3: No.1 Options on No. 2 Seeds
No. 5 – Jalen Brunson, 28.9 PPG/ 3.3 RPG/ 6.3 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 4
Jalen Brunson does not join the other two Eastern Conference players in rising to tier two, but starts tier three. Brunson continues to have the Knicks as the No. 2 seed in the East, but now they are closer to the No. 3-seeded Celtics than they are to the Pistons. Brunson actually took home the Eastern Conference December Player of the Month over Jaylen Brown, but that was probably due to him winning the NBA Cup MVP and not because he was playing better.
Brunson has only reached 30-points once since the last ladder, and the Knicks have gone 2-4. Brunson is just closer to the other player in this tier than he is to Brown.
No. 6 – Victor Wembanyama, 24.3 PPG/ 11.1 RPG/ 3.1 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 7
It is hard to rank Victor Wembanyama. He’s the most dominant defensive player in the NBA, and possibly all-time; he has the best highlights, and the Spurs are the No. 2 seed in the West. He should be above Doncic, and yet he is at No. 6. This ranking is primarily due to his minutes restriction. Wembanyama has not played 30 minutes in a game since his injury in mid-November.
Wembanyama is a top-three player in the NBA when healthy, behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. The problem is he isn’t fully healthy yet.
Tier 4: Young Franchise Cornerstones
No. 7 – Tyrese Maxey, 30.5 PPG/ 4.4 RPG/ 6.6 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 10
Tyrese Maxey has shot up to the top of this tier after slowly dropping down the rankings since the first ladder. Maxey was always a 30-point scorer on a play-in team who averaged the most minutes-per-game in the NBA, but now he is stringing together performances. He has scored over 30-points in half of his games in 2026, including a 34-point double-double. The 76ers are also 5-3 since the last ladder and are the No. 5 seed in the East, escaping the play-in for now.
No. 8 – Anthony Edwards, 28.9 PPG/ 5.0 RPG/ 3.8 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 8
Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey just switch spots on this list based on who has had a better two weeks. They are both great scorers who stay around 25 points-per-game but have 50 and 40-point games every month that raise their average. Edwards, unlike Maxey, hasn’t scored 30-points in four straight games, so he is barely below him.
What Edwards has over anyone else in this tier is team success. The Timberwolves are fourth in the Western Conference and have won seven of their last 10 games. Edwards is definitely the best player in this tier, but Maxey has played like the best player.
No. 9 – Jalen Johnson, 23.7 PPG/ 10.3 RPG/ 8.2 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 9
Jalen Johnson is officially a franchise cornerstone with the Hawks trading Trae Young. Johnson climbed as high as seven in the ladder while Young was injured, and he should get back to that point sometime this season. Johnson is the only player other than Jokic who can have efficient triple-doubles, and has shown he is a threat to score 40+ points.
The Hawks have been really good in the games Young has missed, and even started the Johnson Era 3-0 before losing to the Lakers. There are rumors that the Hawks could be buyers at the trade deadline in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
If Johnson can stack up huge performances as the No. 1 option, while the Hawks rise in the Eastern Conference standings, he will be at the top of this tier.
Tier 5: What Year is It?
No. 10 – Stephen Curry, 28.8 PPG/ 3.8 RPG/ 4.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 13
Stephen Curry is at the top of this tier, mostly because he’s one of two players who have actually been on the MVP ladder before. Since the last ladder, he has gone back and forth between scoring 27-points or 31-points. He only scored seven points in his most recent game, but didn’t play the fourth due to the Warriors dominating the Trail Blazers.
The Warriors have also seemed to figure it out as of late. They are 7-3 in the last 10-games that Curry has played in and are currently the No. 8 seed.
No. 11 – Kawhi Leonard, 28.2 PPG/ 6.3 RPG/ 3.5 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: N/A
Kawhi Leonard has been the best player in the NBA for the last month. Leonard is averaging 32.7 points (highest in the NBA), 2.6 steals (highest in the NBA), 6.9 rebounds ans 3.8 assists since December 20th. Over that same amount of time, the Clippers are 11-2 and have the highest net rating in the NBA. The Clippers are still the No. 11 seed in the West, the only negative to Leonard’s case, but will probably go into All-Star weekend as a play-in team.
Like always with Kawhi, there are injury concerns. He has already missed 10 games this season with an ankle sprain.
No. 12 – Donovan Mitchell, 29.7 PPG/ 4.7 RPG/ 5.6 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 12
Donovan Mitchell is this low on the list due to recency bias. While other players have great two-week stretches and teams go on winning streaks, Mitchell and the Cavs stay the same. Cleveland is surprisingly only the No. 7 seed in the East, but it’s not Mitchell’s fault. He has averaged 30 points this entire season, and is tied with Stephen Curry for most threes made this season, while attempting two fewer threes per game.
Mitchell has been consistent this season, and if other players had his stats, they’d be career-best years and might be higher on this list than 12. But Mitchell was No. 12 last week, and hasn’t done anything to move up, so he stays.
No. 13 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, 29.2 PPG/ 9.8 RPG/ 5.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: N/A
Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to the MVP ladder for the first time since week 7. He has been dominant as of late, having five 30-point double-doubles since the last ladder.
But Antetokounmpo wasn’t left off the list for his play. He has already missed 14 of the 17 games allowed to be eligible for awards. The reason why Giannis is even here is that he said publicly that he still wants to reach that 65 games played mark this season, and the Bucks need it.
Milwaukee is the No. 11 seed in the East and will need Antetokounmpo to play every game to reach the playoffs. If Giannis has another two weeks without a missed game, he will climb higher on this list.
No. 14 – Kevin Durant, 26.1 PPG/ 5.3 RPG/ 4.5 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: N/A
Kevin Durant has replaced Alperen Sengun as the No. 1 option on the Rockets and has replaced him on this list. Sengun has missed seven games since the start of December, and Durant has stepped up. Houston recently broke a three-game losing streak with a win against the Bulls, but is still 6-4 in their last 10 games. Durant in the win had a 28-point double-double on 52.2% from the field.
Durant is the most efficient 25+ point scorer in NBA history, and he is doing it again this season.
No. 15 – Devin Booker, 25.3 PPG/ 3.9 RPG/ 6.4 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: N/A
Devin Booker is on this list to honor the Suns’ season. The Suns had a 30.5 over/under win total entering this season. They currently have 24, and it isn’t halfway through the season yet.
Booker has been great this season. Since the last ladder, Booker has scored 30-points three times, and in his most recent game, he was one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double. Booker is similar to Cunningham, where he is much better than the stats suggest.
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