Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Still the Top MVP Candidate So Far

The 2025-26 NBA season nearly mirrors the previous one for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They enter the campaign with a promising record, despite not being at full strength. It’s safe to say that things are turning out in favor of the defending champions. While there are a lot of elite performers on the rise this season, it’s a no-brainer why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the top MVP pick.

Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the league in points. Victor Wembanyama is ascending as an MVP candidate. Luka Doncic is having his best start with the Los Angeles Lakers. Tyrese Maxey is emerging with the Sixers. Yet, none of these players has led the Thunder the same way SGA has done so far.

Why SGA is Still the Top MVP Candidate So Far

Even with all the buzz from some of the top players in the league, it’s not a surprise that SGA keeps hold of the top MVP spot to begin the season. After all, the Thunder are carrying the same pace they had en route to a victory in the 2025 NBA Finals. That’s largely thanks to SGA being the catalyst for this OKC squad.

SGA is on a Tear Once More

While Giannis is leading the points per game numbers (by a very small margin), Shai separates from the pack by being ahead in the total points. The fact that he’s scoring the regular average he does while even sitting out fourth quarters. The fact that Shai can drop a casual 30 points a night is still really a stunner at this point. After all, it’s hard to achieve all of that consistently.

The Thunder are rolling with Shai at the helm. They are looking like the strong contenders they were poised to be after winning the Finals. After all, defending champions become the standard by the next season, and Oklahoma City shines like one. A huge factor in that regard is SGA’s impressive prominence in the games so far.

He’s dropping 33.2 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds a night, while also having 1.1 blocks and steals apiece. Shai is also shooting at 52.1%, which is remarkable for a guard who has a high usage rate. The mere fact that his percentage looks like a post player is stunning compared to other MVP candidates. His brand of efficiency continues to be a talking point that should be discussed more.

The Most Valuable Player Makes Players Most Valuable

The Thunder won’t win without its best players all the time. Jalen Williams is yet to make his season debut. Chet Holmgren has missed a few games this season. There’s also a crop of OKC players who have yet to play in the campaign. Yet, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not missed out on a single game yet. Availability is the best ability for a player, and not only does he play a lot, but he makes other players around him valuable.

This is a take rarely discussed. The fact that SGA is sitting out the fourth quarter — not because it’s usually a blow out win — makes everyone else valuable. They hold the fort for the final 12 minutes of the game. Most analysts would ignore this and say “the Thunder are stacked with talent” instead. Yes, that’s true, but those talents won’t be really much of a big deal without an MVP in Shai.

We have seen how the Thunder failed to win without him. Oklahoma City stands with a 78-96 record with SGA out of the picture. Not only does this emphasize his importance in the team, but it also shows that OKC needs him to make others better.

Indeed, the Most Valuable Player makes players most valuable. That’s a shining reason why OKC has gone 10-1 in its first 11 games of the season. They may not be able to go 82-0, but the case for 81-1 is still alive, and Shai is a huge reason why they are this good.

Shai is Still the Top MVP Pick to Win

To sum it all up, SGA does indeed deserve to hold the top spot in the recent MVP ladder. We all know that there’s still 71 games to play for the Thunder this season. If Shai continues this absolute tear now more than ever, he’s definitely going to win the MVP once more.

Now more than ever, you can trust the Thunder star to carry the load and push OKC to bigger heights. The fact that Oklahoma City isn’t at its full strength and still holds the best record in the NBA is absurd. No team should this be talented. No team should have the best player in the league playing with inconsistent rotations and still finish with 30 points without playing the fourth.

These are indeed the makings of another MVP season from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.