NBA : Way Way Too Early MVP Rankings

Almost a month into the 2024-2025 NBA season, lets rank the five most valuable players so far.

1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets - 29.7 PPG, 11.7 AST, 13.7 REB, 56 FG%, 56 3PT%

   
   

Jokic has been the unanimous best player in the NBA since 2021, and it doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. He's put up career-high averages across the board this season, leading the Nuggets to the 4th seed in the Western Conference. 

He leads the NBA in Assists and Rebounds through the first 10 games of the season. His 29.7 points per game also ranks 4th in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Davis. If Jokic manages to beat out voter fatigue, he will join Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James as the only players ever to win at least 4 MVPs. 

1.  Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves - 28 PPG, 45.3 3PT%, 5 Threes Per Game

   
   

Edwards has increased his points per game every season since he entered the league in 2020. With each leap he takes, the Michael Jordan comparisons become more apparent, but as Edwards says himself, "I can shoot the three, so that makes me a little different than Michael Jordan". He's not lying.

Edwards' 50 threes made through the first nine games of the season ranks third all-time behind Steph Curry in 2019 and Curry in 2023. Edwards's 45.3 3PT% matches Curry's career high. It's unlikely that Edwards can keep up this level of efficiency through the remainder of the season, but if he can, there's no reason why he can't beat out Jokic and the following players on the list for MVP. 

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder - 27.8 PPG, 6.5 AST, 5.5 REB, 50 FG%, 1.7 STL, 1 BLK

   
   

Unlike Jokic and Edwards, we aren't seeing anything new from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that we haven't already witnessed. His numbers and efficiency are slightly down from last season, but the Thunder are still the two seed in the West. If Shai can lead the Thunder to the one seed for the second year in a row, he deserves to win MVP, bottom line. 

Last season, Shai finished as the runner-up to Jokic in the MVP race. I'm still shocked that he lost. He averaged 30 PPG, 6.5 AST, and 5 REB on the best team in the West. Combined with the fact that the Thunder were the youngest team in the NBA and didn't have another all-star selection, it's hard to imagine another player being more valuable to their franchise.

The Thunder are currently 9-2, and with sophomore star Chet Holgrem out for two to three months, Shai will have the opportunity to prove that he can win without the team's second-best player. If the Thunder can stay as the two seed during Holgrem's absence, Shai will have my vote for MVP. 

1.  Jayson Tatum, Celtics - 29.7 PPG, 5.5 AST, 7.2 REB, 1.6 STL, 4 Threes Per Game

   
   

Coming off an NBA championship last season, Tatum is picking up right where he left off, averaging a career-high in threes and steals per game. Steve Kerr benching Tatum in the Paris Olympics might have been the worst thing to happen for the rest of the league.

There is no weakness to Tatum's game. At 6'9, 225 pounds, he is able to excel at every aspect of basketball. He has the length and strength to drive past anyone like Lebron James. He can shoot over anyone's head like Durant. He can guard any position like Giannis. He's got handles like Paul George, and now he's finally developed a legit passing game. At 26 years old, Jayson Tatum is the best all-around player on the best team in the NBA.

1. Anthony Davis, Lakers - 31 PPG, 10.5 REB, 2 BLK, 1.3 STL, 57.7 FG%, 35.3 3PT%

1. Since Anthony Davis joined the Lakers in 2019, fans have been waiting for him to take point as the Lakers' number-one scoring option over Lebron. That time has finally come; Anthony Davis is playing the best basketball of his career from an efficiency standpoint, scoring 31 PPG on 58% from the field and 35% from three. 

   
   

   Davis has never averaged more than 28 PPG in his career. For Davis to have a legit shot at winning MVP, he would need to keep up this offensive production for the rest of the season; we already know he is a lock for the NBA all-defense team when he stays healthy.

   
   

   Additionally, the Lakers can not finish in the middle of the pact. The Lakers are currently 6-4 sitting at the 7th seed in the West. The team must finish the season as the 3rd seed or higher for Davis to have any chance of winning.