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The NBA season has hit the one-month mark, so let’s hand out some early awards! Who has been the most valuable player so far? The best rookie? The league’s breakout star? Our writers weigh in with their picks.
The MVP of the First Month is …
Kelly Iko: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder. In a perfect world, both Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić would share an MVP, but I’m giving the slightest of edges to SGA because the Thunder have been near perfect, and SGA is actually improving on last season’s MVP campaign. Oklahoma City is in ruins without him and he’s doing all of this without the help of his sidekick, Jalen Williams. Following up an all-time season with an even better one — one that hasn’t come at the expense of team success — is an easy way to win back-to-back awards.
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Tom Haberstroh: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His season is so hilarious. He has played in only seven fourth quarters in 18 games and yet leads the NBA in points in clutch situations. We did a whole “Big Number” episode on this last week and I still can’t get over it. SGA’s performance when it matters most gives him the edge over Jokić in my book.
Morten Stig Jensen: Nikola Jokić, Nuggets. Give me the Serbian center who is averaging 35/12/11 over the past 11 games, in which Denver has gone 9-2. I love Shai, and Luka Dončić deserves a mention here as well, but I just can’t — nor want to — ignore what Jokić is doing. The next few weeks, when he’s without both of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon will be incredibly interesting in terms of how we define the term “most valuable.”
Steve Jones: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder are rolling through the league and Shai has … gotten even better? He has scored 30+ points in 15 games this season (most in the NBA). In November, he’s averaging 31.3 points and 7.1 assists, with 55.8/49.2/91.2 shooting splits — while playing in only three (of 12) fourth quarters this month.
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Nekias Duncan: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I’m torn between him and Jokić — you know, the guy averaging a 30-point triple-double — but I’ll give the slight edge to Shai…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/early-nba-awards-2025-mvp-top-rookie-best-surprise-team-breakout-star-baby-shaq-of-the-first-month-203819051.html
Author : Yahoo Sports Staff
Publish date : 2025-11-24 20:38:00
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