NBA MVP Rankings - 28 Mar

There are only a few weeks left in the regular season, and a healthy Nikola Jokic has surged ahead of SGA for the top spot after 4 straight triple-doubles, all of which came in wins for the surging Nuggets, bringing him to 31 on the season, while he is also leading the league in rebounding and assists, a feat that no player has ever achieved before. Here are my current MVP rankings, with career-highs in bold, plus a few updates to my all-time player rankings:

Most Valuable Player

1 (2) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

27.9 Pts (#7), 12.8 Reb (#1), 10.8 Ast (#1), 1.4 Stl (#19), 0.8 Blk, .574 FG% (#9), .385 3P%, .827 FT%

2 (1) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

31.4 Pts (#2), 4.4 Reb, 6.6 Ast (#16), 1.4 Stl (#20), 0.8 Blk, .553 FG% (#12), .379 3P%, .884 FT% (#14)

3 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - LAL

33.7 Pts (#1), 7.8 Reb, 8.2 Ast (#3), 1.6 Stl (#6), 0.5 Blk, .476 FG%, .366 3P%, .776 FT%

4 (3) Cade Cunningham - PG - DET

24.5 Pts (#13), 5.6 Reb, 9.9 Ast (#2), 1.5 Stl (#14), 0.9 Blk, .461 FG%, .346 3P%, .814 FT%

5 (5) Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS

24.2 Pts (#14), 11.2 Reb (#5), 3.0 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 3.1 Blk (#1), .505 FG%, .351 3P%, .818 FT%

6 (9) Jamal Murray - PG - DEN

25.5 Pts (#11), 4.4 Reb, 7.2 Ast (#8), 0.9 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .483 FG%, .428 3P% (#9), .885 FT% (#13)

7 (NR) Jalen Johnson - SF - ATL

22.9 Pts (#19), 10.3 Reb (#7), 8.1 Ast (#5), 1.3 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .492 FG%, .353 3P%, .786 FT%

8 (7) Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

28.6 Pts (#5), 7.0 Reb, 5.2 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.4 Blk, .477 FG%, .342 3P%, .802 FT%

9 (6) Donovan Mitchell - SG - CLE

27.9 Pts (#8), 4.5 Reb, 5.8 Ast, 1.5 Stl (#9), 0.3 Blk, .478 FG%, .365 3P%, .859 FT%

10 (NR) Jalen Duren - C - DET

19.5 Pts, 10.6 Reb (#6), 1.8 Ast, 0.9 Stl, 0.9 Blk, .643 FG% (#3), .744 FT%

Honorable Mention: James Harden - PG - CLE; Jalen Brunson - PG - NYK; Tyrese Maxey - PG - PHI; Kawhi Leonard - SF - LAC; Karl-Anthony Towns - C - NYK

All-Time Player Rank Changes

James Harden has passed Chris Paul to move up to #19

Kawhi Leonard has passed Pau Gasol to move up to #56

Draymond Green has passed Kyrie Irving to move up to #60

Trae Young has passed John Wall to move up to #92

DeMar DeRozan has passed Wes Unseld to move up to #98

NBA All-Stars - 2026

NBA All-Star Weekend is a week away, and the rosters have been announced, with one injury replacement so far, and possibly more to come, so I've analyzed each player's data so far this season to determine which players are most deserving of an All-Star spot, and how the rosters would be split up in the new USA vs. the World format.

Starters

East

Jalen Johnson - SF - ATL

Cade Cunningham - PG - DET

Donovan Mitchell - SG - CLE

Tyrese Maxey - PG - PHI

James Harden - PG - CLE*

Cunningham and Maxey were voted as starters, while Mitchell and Johnson were added as reserves. Harden was in the West at the time of voting, but since he was traded to the East, I transferred him over to the East starting lineup. All 5 are Americans.

West

Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

Luka Doncic - PG - LAL

Jamal Murray - PG - DEN

Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS

4 of these players were voted as starters, with Murray the lone exception, but he is more deserving this year than Stephen Curry. All 5 of these players are foreigners.

Reserves

East

Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

LaMelo Ball - PG - CHA

Karl-Anthony Towns - C - NYK

Josh Giddey - PG - CHI

Scottie Barnes - PG - TOR

Jalen Duren - C - DET

Most of these players were selected to the actual All-Star team, minus Ball and Giddey, whom I would select to replace Norman Powell and Pascal Siakim.

West

Deni Avdija - SF - POR

Keyonte George - PG - UTA

Anthony Edwards - SG - MIN

Stephen Curry - PG - GSW

Kawhi Leonard - SF - LAC

Alperen Sengun - C - HOU

Devin Booker - SG - PHX

Sengun and George were not selected for the All-Star team, but should have been, and Kawhi was added as an injury replacement due to Giannis probably not playing. I would have left out Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Chet Holmgren, though all are among my top 35 players for this season.

Rosters

USA

Jalen Johnson

Cade Cunningham

Donovan Mitchell

Tyrese Maxey

James Harden

Jaylen Brown

Jalen Brunson

Keyonte George

Anthony Edwards

Stephen Curry

Kawhi Leonard

LaMelo Ball

Devin Booker

Josh Giddey

Scottie Barnes

Jalen Duren

Injury Replacement if needed: Kevin Durant, Julius Randle

World

Nikola Jokic

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Luka Doncic

Jamal Murray

Victor Wembanyama

Deni Avdija

Alperen Sengun

Karl-Anthony Towns*

*Towns is American, born in New Jersey, but has competed for the Dominican Republic internationally, where his mother was born.

Injury Replacement if needed: Rudy Gobert, Lauri Markkanen

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Moses Malone to move up to #27

Joel Embiid has passed Sam Cassell, Dominique Wilkins, and Jayson Tatum to move up to #76

NBA MVP Rankings - 17 Jan

With Nikola Jokic's injury earlier this month, the top spot in my MVP rankings has changed hands, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking over the top spot as he continues to lead the Thunder to the best record in the league. The rest of the top 10 shifted around a bit, and there is also a new player in my all-time top 100 rankings. Here are my current rankings, with previous ranking in parentheses and career-highs in bold:

Most Valuable Player

1 (2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

31.6 Pts (#2), 4.4 Reb, 6.3 Ast (#19), 1.4 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .545 FG% (#15), .392 3P%, .886 FT% (#15)

2 (1) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

29.6 Pts (#4), 12.2 Reb (#1), 11.0 Ast (#1), 1.4 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .605 FG% (#8), .435 3P% (#13), .853 FT%

3 (3) Cade Cunningham - PG - DET

26.2 Pts (#13), 6.1 Reb, 9.8 Ast (#2), 1.5 Stl (#12), 0.8 Blk, .458 FG%, .329 3P%, .824 FT%

4 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - LAL

33.6 Pts (#1), 7.7 Reb, 8.7 Ast (#4), 1.6 Stl (#7), 0.5 Blk, .468 FG%, .334 3P%, .783 FT%

5 (8) Jamal Murray - PG - DEN

25.8 Pts (#16), 4.5 Reb, 7.5 Ast (#8), 1.0 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .484 FG%, .446 3P% (#7), .892 FT% (#10)

6 (9) Tyrese Maxey - PG - PHI

30.3 Pts (#3), 4.4 Reb, 6.7 Ast (#16), 1.9 Stl (#4), 1.0 Blk, .474 FG%, .402 3P%, .878 FT%

7 (7) Donovan Mitchell - SG - CLE

29.2 Pts (#6), 4.8 Reb, 5.7 Ast, 1.5 Stl (#17), 0.3 Blk, .489 FG%, .391 3P%, .845 FT%

8 (6) Jalen Johnson - SF - ATL

23.1 Pts, 10.1 Reb (#7), 8.1 Ast (#5), 1.3 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .519 FG%, .354 3P%, .795 FT%

9 (5) Jalen Brunson - PG - NYK

28.2 Pts (#8), 3.2 Reb, 6.1 Ast (#20), 0.7 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .481 FG%, .388 3P%, .852 FT%

10 (10) Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

29.4 Pts (#5), 6.5 Reb, 4.9 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.4 Blk, .491 FG%, .373 3P%, .785 FT%

Honorable Mention - Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS; Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL; James Harden - PG - LAC; Deni Avdija - SF - POR; Chet Holmgren - PF - OKC

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Kawhi Leonard has passed George Gervin to move up to #57

Draymond Green has passed Chauncey Billups to move up to #61

DeMar DeRozan has passed Bob Lanier to move up to #100

NBA MVP Rankings - 27 Dec

There are a lot of new faces in the MVP race this month, with a few players making their first-ever appearance in the top 10 today. Injuries to many of the previous top 10 created more space, but the two most recent MVPs are still the favorites. Here are my full current rankings, with previous ranking in parentheses and career highs in bold, plus a few more updates to the all-time player rankings:

Most Valuable Player

1 (1) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

29.8 Pts, 12.1 Reb (#1), 11.0 Ast (#1), 1.4 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .609 FG%, .440 3P%, .851 FT%

2 (2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

32.1 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 6.5 Ast, 1.5 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .551 FG%, .425 3P%, .884 FT%

3 (6) Cade Cunningham - PG - DET

26.5 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 9.6 Ast, 1.6 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .461 FG%, .328 3P%, .818 FT%

4 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - LAL

33.7 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 8.7 Ast, 1.5 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .461 FG%, .322 3P%, .801 FT%

5 (NR) Jalen Brunson - PG - NYK

29.3 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 6.5 Ast, 0.8 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .478 FG%, .381 3P%, .844 FT%

6 (NR) Jalen Johnson - SF - ATL

23.8 Pts, 10.4 Reb, 8.3 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 0.4 Blk, .525 FG%, .368 3P%, .821 FT%

7 (8) Donovan Mitchell - SG - CLE

30.7 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 5.4 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .499 FG%, .390 3P%, .853 FT%

8 (NR) Jamal Murray - PG - DEN

25.4 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 7.0 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .491 FG%, .460 3P%, .884 FT%

9 (5) Tyrese Maxey - PG - PHI

30.8 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 7.0 Ast, 1.7 Stl, 0.9 Blk, .458 FG%, .394 3P%, .891 FT%

10 (NR) Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

29.4 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 4.9 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .502 FG%, .369 3P%, .783 FT%

Honorable Mention: James Harden - PG - LAC; Jalen Duren - C - DET; Josh Giddey - PG - CHI; Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS; Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Stephen Curry passed Jerry West to move up to #12

Russell Westbrook passed Chris Paul to move up to #18

Nikola Jokic passed Oscar Robertson to move up to #22

Anthony Davis passed Dolph Schayes and Gary Payton to move up to #46

Luka Doncic passed Kyrie Irving to move up to #59

Trae Young passed Dennis Rodman, Tom Heinsohn, and Mike Conley to move up to #93