NBA MVP Ladder: How SGA’s Injury Opens the Door for Other Candidates

As the NBA prepares to break for its annual All-Star weekend festivities, a pair of players are climbing the MVP ladder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined.

Nikola Jokić returned from injury just in time to remain eligible for the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season awards consideration. Since rejoining the Nuggets, he’s averaging 24.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists.

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In the Eastern Conference, Cade Cunningham has the Pistons surging. Detroit currently owns the second-best record in the league and holds a 5.5-game lead for the No. 1 seed over the Celtics. Detroit hasn’t lost consecutive games since Dec. 28.

Using FTN’s new NBA StatsHub, let’s take a closer look at this year’s NBA MVP race, and whether Jokić, Cunningham or another dark horse can challenge Gilgeous-Alexander’s bid for a second consecutive Michael Jordan Trophy.

How to Win NBA MVP

There is a clear historical blueprint for winning NBA MVP. Three primary criteria have consistently defined the award in the last decade:

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Top-3 in Value Over Replacement Player

Currently, SGA is the only player meeting all three benchmarks this season. However, he suffered an abdominal injury earlier this month, and his status coming out of the All-Star break remains uncertain.

In recent years, the NBA has added a minimum-playing-time requirement — players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season honors. Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence does not appear likely to jeopardize that threshold, but it has nonetheless created an opening for other candidates to strengthen their cases.

Let’s take a look at the leading contenders for MVP.

2025-2026 NBA MVP Candidates

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-220 MVP Odds)

VORP: 2nd
Win Shares: 1st
Playoff Seed: 1st

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Prior to getting injured, SGA looked like the runaway favorite to win his second consecutive MVP award. At the time of his injury, he ranked second in the NBA in scoring, and the Thunder owned the league’s best record at 38-11.

Among players averaging at least 10 shot attempts per game, only Jokić and Kevin Durant have a better Field Goal Percentage…

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Publish date : 2026-02-11 21:03:00

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