NBA MVP race is between Shai and Jokic, but someone else should be in the discussion

The 2025 NBA season comes down to the 'this town ain't big enough for the both of us' idiom. The both of us refer to Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Going by most metrics, betting odds, and the social media discourse, one quickly realizes these are the MVP favorites.

The Sunday showcase between their teams, the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder will sway voters one way or another this late into the season. 

Jokic's case revolves around statistical dominance. He's averaging the most efficient triple-double of all time. The instinctual reads he makes elevate everyone on his roster. He captured the first 30/20/20 game in league history as a center. He's transcended the game but is likely a 1 of 1. Bigs coming up will model their game off his, but it's hard to replicate the galaxy brain in his cranium. His dominance ramped up the MVP once again. 

SGA has been the pillar of one of the strongest teams we've seen. OKC has the second-highest net rating behind the 1996 Chicago Bulls. That's a team stat, so why is it taking into account SGA's MVP case? The Thunder are +16 with SGA on the floor and a slight +1 when he's off. While he's off the floor, the positive figure shows OKC is a competent team, but SGA catapults them to another stratosphere. He's also leading the league in scoring at 32.8 with a sizzling 64.5 TS%. SGA should pick up some split hairs with his close-to-All-Defense level off-ball defense. 

These two have been sensational and kick off the MVP conversation. This is one of the best two-man races we've seen, but why is this third guy always excluded? Because he got two as a young pup? Jokic already has three MVPs and races for his fourth. Voter fatigue isn't why Giannis Antetokounmpo is slighted. We appear bored by his greatness, but that needs to cease. 

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Giannis Antetokounmpo's greatness is taken for granted

Like Steph Curry is the king of the deep ball, Giannis is the king of downhill driving. He's been in the league with LeBron James for years, but it's okay to say that no one attacks the cup like Giannis does. He's Shaq-like, but instead of crushing skulls from strictly post-ups, Giannis attacked from the perimeter, transition, the mid-post, and even post-ups.

Giannis' season numbers of 30/12/5 shooting 62% from 2pt land would land 99.9% of players atop the MVP ladder. Even with the brilliance of SGA and Jokic's display, if a shiny new toy had Giannis' numbers, he'd be the front-runner (if his team was winning, too).

The Bucks are winning, so we can't use that "good stats, bad team" narrative against the Greek Freak. Milwaukee isn't winning to the same degree as Denver and OKC, so I partly understand why his name isn't truly in the mix. But on the flip side, winning hasn't been the end-all in the MVP race in recent memory. See 2017 Russell Westbrook and 2022 Nikola Jokic. Those years had drastic narratives attached to them in addition to the head-turning numbers, and that's the Giannis dilemma.

There's no "look at him lead his team after Kevin Durant's departure" or "he got this team to the playoffs without Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr." surrounding Giannis' season. He's playing with a rejuvenated top-75 player in Damian Lillard, and the Bucks retooled at the deadline, adding pivotal "others."

Those aspects make it easy to wave off Giannis' MVP case, especially considering he's had these numbers for years. He's always been a tank in the paint. He's shot over 72% at the rim since 2018, throwing in an 81% season in 2021. We know he's the best attacker in basketball, but his touch on his new and improved midrange could've been a narrative sticking point if the national media wanted him in this race. 

Six players have made 100 midrange shots this year: DeMar DeRozan, SGA, KD, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Those other five players are known for this middy shotmaking prowess, but Giannis has put in immense work to add that part to his game. It'll make scoring on playoff defenses breezier if his shot translates to the playoffs. He isn't just taking a ton and making some; Giannis is shooting a more-than-respectable 49% on long twos-- crushing his previous career-high of 44%.

There's an MVP case to be made for No. 34 in Milwaukee. He's the most physically dominant player in the world, who dishes out assists like a wing player. He has a newly found sweet touch on his midrange, and he's a better defender than the two mentioned above him.

Shai has been outstanding off the ball, creating havoc, and Jokic isn't having one of his quick-hands, high-IQ defensive seasons. Even with both of them playing at their apex level on defense, Giannis runs circles around them. He's top-notch at the most essential aspect of defense: protecting the paint. He's more switchable than SGA and Jokic and strikes more fear when he sits in that chair. 

Giannis can finish the year on a 40/12/10 run and likely won't get MVP because the target has been SGA/Jokic heavy all season, but Giannis can bulldoze his way to the Finals in a top-heavy Eastern Conference and show voters why taking his greatness for granted is embarrassing.