Can Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham make the top 5?

The NBA MVP discussion centered on that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic in recent weeks. These are arguably the two best players in the NBA this season, and each of them deserves an MVP award. However, about what Victor Vembanyama and Cade Cunningham? These two young stars in the making are the reasons for the rise of the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons, which is why we cannot ignore their status in the NBA MVP rankings.

While this still looks like a race between SGA and Jokic, there is still plenty of time for those ranked outside the top five to make a run for this award. In the case of Wembanyama and Cunningham, their MVP chances hinge on leading their teams to the playoffs.

The Spurs haven’t made the playoffs in five straight seasons, their longest streak in franchise history. Vembanjama is ready to see that streak end, having been one of the most impressive players this season. Although the Spurs have struggled of late, losing three straight and four of their last six games overall, Wemby has them just 2.5 games behind the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

Back-to-back big performances against Jokic also helped build Vembanyama’s MVP case. In a 113-110 win over the Nuggets, Wemby had 35 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks. After this win in the next game, the San Antonio big man had 20 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks in what turned out to be a 122-111 overtime victory for Denver.

With Wembanyama making the All-Star ballot and all but guaranteed a spot in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, his chances of winning the MVP will only increase.

Much can be said about Cunningham, as he will undoubtedly be an All-Star for the first time in his career like Vembanjama. The Pistons point guard is averaging 24.2 points, 9.5 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. He currently ranks 16th in scoring and third in assists among all players.

Last season, the Pistons won a total of 14 games. Through 39 games, Detroit sits at 20-19 thanks in large part to Cunningham’s ability to lead them. As crazy as it sounds, the Pistons are very much in the East playoff picture and are just one full game behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks for the 6 seed in the conference.

If Cunningham can lead the Pistons to the playoffs and they can earn a real berth instead of struggling in the playoffs, his chances of winning the MVP award will skyrocket.

Vembanjama and Cunningham continue to improve and lead their young teams to new heights, which is why we can’t count them out of the NBA MVP rankings just yet. Don’t be surprised if one or both players break into the top five of these rankings in the coming weeks.

Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Sunday 11 | 10th week |9th week | week 7 | 6th week | 5th week | 4th week | 3rd week | 2nd week | 1st week

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous rank: #1

2024-25 Stats: 38 games, 31.4 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocks, 52.2 FG%, 35.6 3P%

Once again, Shai tops the NBA MVP rankings for good reason. Although the Oklahoma City Thunder recently fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the game of the year to this point, the All-Star point guard continued his dominant scoring streak. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 25 points in eight straight, reaching the mark in 12 of his last 13 games. With that, the Thunder star is now tied with Giannis for the scoring lead this season.

In the midst of all his success and records he’s been setting with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander remains focused on the season as a whole. He doesn’t care about the MVP chatter, and is focused solely on winning.

“MVPs are never won after 40 games,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the early season MVP tally. “40 more of these, and yes, of course.”

This seems to be the mindset of the entire Thunder team in terms of not caring about personal accolades. At the end of the year, SGA would certainly be looking forward to winning the MVP award, but that’s a long way from now. His focus, like the team’s focus, is on finding ways to get better every game. This is the main reason why Gilgeus-Alexander is the clear favorite for this award.

2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets

Previous rank: #2

2024-25 Stats: 33 games, 31.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 55.4 FG%, 47.1 3P%

After missing the Denver Nuggets’ 118-106 loss to the Boston Celtics due to illness, Jokic returned to the court and led the Nuggets to three straight double-digit wins, including one in overtime against Webby and the Spurs. In this 122-111 win against San Antonio, Jokic had 46 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, his sixth 40-point game of the season.

The crazy part about this performance is that 15 of Jokic’s 46 points came in the fourth quarter or overtime, as nine of Denver’s 14 points came in overtime. The Denver superstar continues to dominate with his near-triple-double numbers, and is now closing in on double-digit assists for the season.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

Previous rank: #4

2024-25 stats: 31 games, 31.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 59.8 FG%

Giannis moved up the NBA MVP rankings this week after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 3-1 record, their only loss coming against the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Bucks have been a very upbeat team since their NBA Cup run, but Antetokounmpo has been red-hot lately, averaging 25.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor above his the last four games.

Not only did Antetokounmpo shine in his last MVP showdown with Vembanyama and the Spurs, but he also has the Bucks within striking distance of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Between his team’s success and the fact that he is now tied with Gilgeous-Alexander for the league lead in scoring, Giannis is still very much in the mix for the MVP award.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks

Previous rank: #5

2024-25 stats: 37 games, 25.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 55.4 FG%, 44.9 3P%

Not enough people are giving the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns the flowers they deserve. Towns has been everything the Knicks hoped he would be when they sacrificed a ton of assets to get him from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he’s been the most impressive rebounder in the NBA so far.

Towns is second only to Domantas Sabonis for the league lead in rebounds, and is also twice as shy as Sabonis this season. When the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein, there were questions about how they would replace his ability to clean the glass. Well, Towns has left no doubt about his abilities, as he has recorded at least 18 rebounds in eight different games this year, tied for the most with Sabonis.

Since the start of 2025, Towns has averaged 28.7 points and 16.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and 52.2 percent from three-point range. Those are MVP numbers right there.

5. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

Previous rank: #3

2024-25 Stats: 36 games, 28.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 46.2 FG%, 35.9 3P%

During the recent struggles of the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum has remained consistent. The five-time All-Star has missed just three games and has consistently been one of the top scorers in the league this season. In fact, Tatum logged a total of 31 games scoring at least 20 pointswhich is tied with De’Aaron Fox for second in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander leads all players with 37 such appearances.

What makes Tatum a legitimate MVP candidate compared to years past is the fact that he is nearly averaging a double-double and is still Boston’s best playmaker. In addition to averaging 28.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, Tatum led the Celtics in assists all year. It’s a difficult task to be a goalscorer while also playing for others, but this is an area where the 26-year-old has thrived.

If the Celtics can get back to their winning and dominant ways, then Tatum’s MVP stock will rise once again.

It’s just missing the cut

6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (6th place last week)

7. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (unranked last week)

8. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers (seventh last week)

9. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (10th last week)

10. Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers (No. 8 last week)