We are close to the midway point of the 2025-26 NBA season, which means now is a perfect time to look at the players currently in the hunt for this season’s NBA MVP award.
There have been many outstanding performances over the first few months of the season. However, only a select few have truly been the most valuable players in the league. With that in mind, we rank the top 2026 NBA MVP candidates.
Cade Cunningham
The Detroit Pistons have owned the best record in the Eastern Conference for much of the season, in no small part due to the play of top star Cade Cunningham. He unsurprisingly leads the team in scoring (26.7), but assists (9.6) and steals (1.6) as well. He is also second in the league in assists and top 10 in steals.
Furthermore, he has taken his game to new levels on defense in 2025-26 and has become not just a talented offensive player but a well-rounded star in the league.
Nikola Jokic
There aren’t any superlatives left that haven’t been heaped on Denver Nuggets legend Nikola Jokic. He is the NBA leader in rebounds (12.2) and assists (11.0), as well as fifth in scoring (29.6). Sure, he isn’t a great defensive player, but it is less of a problem because of the massive impact he makes at every level on the other side of the ball.
He would be higher in our latest NBA MVP rankings, but a recent knee injury is expected to sideline the Serbian for the next month. That will hurt his case compared to the other contenders for the award.
Jalen Brunson
What’s not to love about New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson? He is gritty, has an elite mid and short range game, leads by example, is arguably the top clutch scorer in the game, and he rarely moans and groans for fouls.
He is the undisputed top star on a Finals-contender that would be a middle-of-the-road team without New York City’s favorite sports star. Brunson continues to be one of the game’s biggest impact players.
Jaylen Brown
Expectations were far lower than normal this season for the Boston Celtics after they slashed payroll in the summer, and they will miss top star Jayson Tatum for much of the season. However, Jaylen Brown has stepped up massively and shockingly has Boston in the No. 2 spot of the Eastern Conference (seventh overall).
Brown is still posting his usual strong numbers across the board, but his career high 29.6 points per game has come at just the right time. Many called him the Robin to Tatum’s Batman, but Brown is showing he can be the No. 1 guy on a winning team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the team to its first NBA championship last spring with an NBA MVP-winning performance. In the new season, not much has changed because SGA has OKC in contention to break the single-season record for wins.
Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league in scoring (31.6), second in free throws made (9.6), and third in field goals made (10.8). The Thunder are a completely different team without the reigning MVP.
