This weekend, the two biggest forms of motorsport in America take the stage. While NASCAR crowns three new champions in Homestead-Miami, Formula One goes to Brazil to run its first race with its newly crowned champion.
Those races, however, aren’t stuffed with the same intrigue that another race currently has.
That race would be the one for the NBA KIA MVP.
Stars are taking center stage, serious longevity is being put on display, and new faces are demanding the spotlight. It’s been a brilliant start to the NBA season.
However, with every race comes a winner. So, who’s winning this one, and who’s trailing behind?
HM: Ty Jerome
The surprise of the season so far, Ty Jerome has mouths agape across the league with his play. The Memphis Grizzlies guard is currently averaging 26.6 points per game on a slash line of 50/36/88, and is the brightest spot on a fast-starting Memphis team.
Jerome’s biggest performance of the season (and his career to date) came against the Utah Jazz, where he absolutely exploded for 45 points on 68% shooting. Of his 10 three-point attempts that night, he made five of them, and most importantly, the Grizzlies claimed victory. His performance was also historic—historic as in “only Michael Jordan managed it” historic.
It’s obviously early, and the question everyone is asking is, “Can he continue this?” given Jerome hasn’t shown out like this before. However, if Jerome continues this type of performance throughout the year, he’ll be on lists like this more often. Potentially higher up those lists, too.
Nevertheless, he’s 100% earned his flowers.
#5: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA being 5th on an NBA MVP list sounds, feels, and to many just is plain wrong. However, this isn’t an indictment on SGA—rather, it’s a testament to just how good the next four players are playing right now.
Gilgeous-Alexander still averages 30 like the average person sleeps, with his 29.9 PPG sitting at 3rd in the league. He’s the centerpiece of an Oklahoma City Thunder team that’s been tragically depleted by horrendous injuries, and barely has them missing a beat. His crowning performances are actually performances, as they follow one another.
In a double-header against the Cleveland Cavaliers, SGA finished Game 1 with 43 points, 8 assists, and 3 stocks in a five-point Thunder win. Two days later, he finished a 124-116 victory with 42 points and 8 more assists. Without SGA’s greatness, there’s no way the Thunder are even close in either game.
Once again, the fact that he is 5th in this ladder is a testament to how good the next four players have been. SGA is still at the peak of the basketball universe—he’s just got a little company this year.
#4: Tyrese Maxey
When the 76ers got LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this offseason, everyone crowned them. All of those crownings are being justified in real time, as the Sixers are rolling at 9-2.
The fiercest head of the Philly monster is the man the city dubbed “The Franchise”, who’s averaging nearly 27/4/6 with 2 stocks a night. Maxey was crucial in their opening night victory against the defending champion New York Knicks, with several clutch plays down the stretch to seal the deal. His best performance, however, came recently.
In Charlotte, without Joel Embiid and LBJ, Maxey went for 38 points on 57% shooting in a nail-biting win. He was especially good in the 4th quarter, when he went for 15 points to erase what was a six-point Hornets lead heading into the frame.
On a super team, there’s always a debate about who really is the best player on the team. Right now, in Philadelphia, there is no debate—The Franchise is more than living up to his name.
#3: Stephen Curry
The God of Shooting has found a second wind in 2026, as Stephen Curry has started this year as good as he has ever started one.
His per-game splits sit at 31/4/5 on a slash line of 50/45/99. As a reference, his unanimous MVP year numbers were 30/5/7 on 50/45/91. That’s right—statistically, Steph at 38 is only slightly off the pace of peak Steph. Absolutely bonkers longevity.
Furthermore, the Golden State Warriors were not expected to be anything other than a rebuild team this year. As it stands, they sit at 7-3 with the fifth seed.
Steph’s best performance so far is his 44-point explosion against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Golden State got out of Minneapolis victorious, and Curry’s performance—especially his 19-point barrage in Q2—had a lot to do with it.
It is a massive testament to Curry’s longevity that he is 3rd on an MVP ladder at 38 years of age. The guy hasn’t missed a beat from when it used to be “his league”, and if this continues, perhaps it will be once again.
#2: Victor Wembanyama
Take the inside game of a peak-powered Nikola Jokic. Take the outside game of the average NBA 3PT shooter. Add the defensive games of the greats—Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, Dikembe Mutombo, etc.
Now make this person 7-foot-5 and shifty. You’ve just created Victor Wembanyama (outside of the 3PT shooting, which isn’t there yet this year).
Year 4 Wemby is just plain ludicrous, with him taking a scoring leap to 29.1 PPG and somehow getting even better defensively. He currently averages 3.9 blocks a night, which leads the league by a mile.
With his 29 PPG and nearly 4 BPG, Wemby is currently embarking on a season that has never happened in NBA history. The total blocks record of 456 may be out of reach, but at this point, who will bet against The Alien?
Wemby’s best performance just sounds like something out of a video game. 52 points, 24 (TWENTY-FOUR!) rebounds and EIGHT blocks against the Dallas Mavericks. They needed every single one of those, too, as the promising Dallas team made it a nail-biter down the stretch.
As mentioned earlier, Tyrese Maxey earned his nickname of The Franchise. Well, Wemby might garner a new nickname with his play, because alien might not be a strong enough description to describe what the NBA is getting out of him.
#1: Luka Doncic
For Wemby to have the season he’s having and not be #1 in an MVP ladder takes a special season. A season in which a player is just so unbelievably out of his mind, there’s not enough superlatives to describe it.
Enter Luka Doncic.
40.1 PPG—no that’s not a typo, he is actually averaging 40 points a night. 7.7 APG and 7.8 RPG. A slash line of 50/42/87. He’s also top two in the league in PER, Offensive Win Shares, and Total Win Shares.
There’s an assortment of stat lines here that would pass the “no NBA player has ever done this” test. 40/8/8 in a year, 40 PPG on 50/40/85 in a year, 50/40 while taking 25+ shots a night, 40 PPG on 60% true shooting—the list goes on and on and on.
Take a pick for his best performance: 52/8/10 against the Jazz; 45 and 15 assists while going 8/12 from three against the Raptors; 42 and 13 assists against the Heat. His latest performance of 53/5/5 against the Blazers might just be his best, though.
He’s also playing much better defense, by the way.
Steph, Maxey, and Wemby especially have to be sick. In the spirit of talking about races, Luka Doncic is doing to the NBA what Kyle Larson did to NASCAR over the last nine weeks—crushing the opposition by producing astronomical results with superstar consistency.
Larson’s performance has him on the cusp of winning a championship. Will Doncic finally win himself an MVP?
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