Updated MVP rankings after Luka Dončić goes off and Cade Cunningham goes out

Luka Dončić continued his scoring barrage as he hung 60 on the sixth-ranked Miami Heat defense Thursday night. The 2026 MVP race was a snooze fest for weeks, but Dončić's magnificent play is adding some drama to the final stretch.

Cade Cunningham was surely in the mix to receive some MVP votes, but his collapsed lung puts that in jeopardy. He's the leading force on the top East team — it's a shame his season could end without him on award ballots.

Shai-Gilgeous Alexander has been the steady favorite for the majority of the year. Bettors would need to place huge dollars on SGA winning MVP if they wanted a meaningful return. There is no doubt he is still the front-runner, but interesting things are happening around the league. SGA is the probable MVP, but a historic run by a competitor could spoil his season. Here's how we see the race right now.

5. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Key stats: 28.5 PPG 7.0 RPG 5.1 APG

Cunningham would have this fifth spot if he weren't expected to miss so much time. The 65-game rule will be abolished, and Cunningham will be one of the main reasons.

Jaylen Brown has been impressive in his own right. He has a case to be a top-five candidate regardless of who's healthy. I get it. The impact stats don't love Brown. How can one have those metrics and still be so valuable?

Something must be said about the perception of Boston heading into the year. Many believed it would be a gap year with Jayson Tatum missing the majority of the year. Brown put on his No. 1 option cape and said not so fast. It's not easy being the top guy on the scouting report, and Brown passed that test.

He's the go-to option on one of the best teams in basketball. Joe Mazzulla deserves Coach of the Year buzz with how he got the troops to buy in, and Derrick White is one of the most impactful players around. That doesn't diminish the unexpected season Brown is having.

4. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Key stats: 28.2 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 10.5 APG

The NBA talent is so absurd that a player is averaging an efficient triple-double while leading the league in assists and rebounds, and lots of folks are like "yeah, he's fourth in the MVP race today". That is Nikola Jokić's position.

The Denver Nuggets have slid over the last month. The Nuggets are 7-8 over the last 15 games and sit at sixth in the West. Jokić's play hasn't been up to his usual dominance during the dry stretch -- 4.5 turnovers and shooting 31 percent from 3-point range is not Jokić-like.

Denver still has the No. 1 offense and a flaming Jamal Murray. Their recent skid is concerning for the playoffs, but their track record with Jokić and Murray leading the troops is enough to believe they'll snap out of it before April. It's not enough to make Jokić a more dangerous MVP candidate. Look who he is up against.

3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Key stats: 24.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.0 BPG

It's refreshing to hear Victor Webamyama tell the truth about his MVP quest. No PR team-first answer was given here. He's a shoo-in to win Defensive Player of the Year unless he misses more time, but MVP isn't as certain.

Wemby does all he can on his end. The Spurs are 52-18 with elite defense with Wemby on the floor. Similarly to Brown, the perception of the Spurs headed into this year has been much different from reality. San Antonio isn't some cute young team with Wemby at the helm; they can compete right now.

Overall offensive impact is one department Wemby falls short in in these MVP conversations. On the flip side, you could argue his defensive impact is just as warping as SGA and Dončić's brilliance. Good offense beats good defense on the court, and in award races usually. Wemby will get MVP eventually, but he's going against special offensive forces who also have team success.

2. Luka Dončić, Los Angleles Lakers

Key stats: 33.4 PPG, 8.4 APG, 37% on 10.8 3PA

If you only saw Dončić over the Lakers' 8-game winning streak, you'd think he is the best player in the world.

Along with the all-time offense, the effort and commitment to defense have improved. Dončić closes out with more urgency and has possessions walling up explosive athletes. As a scorer, Dončić is on track to win the scoring title for the second time.

That part isn't new. Dončić has been near the top of the MVP ladder before, but team success usually costs him in the end. The same could be in store with SGA and the Thunder leading the pack, but things will get more interesting if the Lakers win out and Dončić averages over 40 during the stretch.

Of course, those are lofty expectations, but Dončić is up against a supernova scorer who impacts winning just as much, if not more, than him. Dončić needs to do something unprecedented to snatch the MVP crown from SGA.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Key stats: 31.5 PPG, 60 2P%, 39 3P%

Labeling SGA a supernova scorer isn't doing enough justice. We are witnessing a high-volume 6-foot-6 guard with a 66 true shooting percentage. That is absolutely bonkers with the shot diet SGA has. These aren't strictly layups. There isn't a portion of the floor SGA isn't an assanin from.

The Thunder are a dominant team, and SGA is reason No. 1. This is a fantastic defense that can employ up to four stoppers at once. That is because of SGA's greatness. If he weren't capable of making something from nothing consistently, OKC would need more shooters and creators around SGA. They will need more of that in the playoffs, but this is a regular-season award.

OKC remains the best team in the NBA with Jalen Williams missing so much of the year. Chet Holmgren is an All-Star teammate of SGA, but OKC is plus-11.7 with SGA on and his running mates off.

What Luka Dončić has done lately wakes me up from the MVP nap SGA's dominance put us in, but we still have a clear favorite. There are things Dončić can do to make this thing more intriguing, but he would have to take it even further.

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