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NBA MVP race 2024-25: New MVP winner projected to take crown

NBA MVP
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

We know who won the 2024 NBA MVP, but it’s never too early to preview this season’s candidates to win The Michael Jordan Trophy. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid have combined to win the past four MVP awards, but we have a feeling a newcomer will emerge.

Now that the NBA season is finally here, these are our frontrunners to vie for The Michael Jordan Trophy, otherwise known as the MVP award, in 2025.

Related: 50 best NBA players of 2024, including Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum

10. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

NBA: Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Can the gigantic Frenchman take a Victor Wembanyama-sized sophomore leap? He’s already viewed as one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he has an incredibly smooth offensive skillset. A better all-around roster, plus the presence of Chris Paul, just might make the Spurs superstar into a fringe MVP candidate, but there’s a whole league of players he’ll have to fend off.

Related: 2024 NBA schedule

9. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

anthony davis
Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Can Anthony Davis stay healthy? That’s the biggest question as he plays into his age-31 season. But he did play 76 out of 82 games last season and had very impressive numbers with 24.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. If that level of play continues, you can bet he’ll be in the mix to win MVP, but the Lakers will need to have a good record too.

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8. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

NBA: New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no question who the New York Knicks’ leader is anymore. Jalen Brunson forced his way into the MVP conversation after scoring a career-best 28.7 points per game last season. The first-time All-Star won’t be slowing down any time soon, and now that the Knicks have a deeper roster, he might even benefit from having better numbers. Or maybe his scoring averages slip with KAT’s arrival, but New York being one of the best teams will help his candidacy too.

Related: NBA playoff predictions: Bracket picks & 2024 Finals champion

7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

jayson tatum
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum can relax a bit now that he got his NBA Championship. But will he ever prove to be in the top three of the NBA’s best players from a production standpoint? Maybe not, especially while working in such a smooth tandem with Jaylen Brown. Odds are Tatum doesn’t care about the MVP hardware, he wants more rings. But he’ll still be in the mix to win his first MVP.

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6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

giannis antetokounmpo
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Like a few others, we expect Damian Lillard to be more comfortable in his second season in Milwaukee, which should lead to a significant step forward for the Bucks. It could also cause Giannis Antetokounmpo to reduce his scoring load, which would not be a bad thing. However, it won’t help his chances to win another MVP award.

Related: NBA Rookie of the Year 2024-25 predictions

5. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks

NBA: Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks

The NBA’s best scorer today, Luka Doncic, is undoubtedly talented. He also has a unique flair for setting his teammates up in transition. But he doesn’t play defense, and without it, we have a hard time imagining how voters will see him as the NBA MVP, though it’s been done before.

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4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a gigantic leap last season, and so did the Oklahoma City Thunder. But we’re expecting his teammates to continue their growth, which could lead to a reduced impact from SGA. Make no mistake, we still see him as one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers who can shut down his opponent on a nightly basis, but we’re slotting him behind a few others, for now.

Related: 2024 NBA Power Rankings: Evaluating all 30 teams

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers-Media Day
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Had he not gotten hurt, Joel Embiid likely would have won consecutive MVP awards. We would have placed him first again, but the arrival of Paul George is likely to lead to reduced scoring averages, but it could also lead to more assists for the 76ers’ franchise player. Ultimately, the only thing getting in Embiid’s way from being an MVP finalist is his health.

Related: 10 must-see games on the 2024-25 NBA schedule

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

NBA: Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets

No one puts up numbers like Nikola Jokic. He may not be the league’s top scorer, but Jokic is an incredibly efficient player who has somehow come close to averaging a triple-double each of the past two seasons. With three awards already on his shelf, of course Jokic is a top 2025 NBA MVP candidate again.

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1. NBA MVP – Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

anthony edwards

After proving that the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Anthony Edwards is motivated to show he can be the face of the NBA. Already one of the top two-way players in the NBA, Edwards still has to take another big leap to merit this award. Having improved every year, we wouldn’t put it past him to become a more efficient scorer who learns to limit his turnovers.

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