It has been three weeks since The Lead’s last MVP Ladder, thanks to All-Star Weekend. The only thing that has changed is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Nikola Jokic in being at risk of not playing 65 games. This means two things: the NBA should probably get rid of the rule, and it has never been as important to be in third place.
Jaylen Brown jumped Luka Doncic to become No. 3 on the ladder, but two other players have joined that second tier. Gilgeous-Alexander is likely the MVP, but the 65-game rule has made the MVP race interesting until the end of the season.
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NBA MVP Tier 1: The MVP
No.1 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 31.8 PPG/ 4.4 RPG/ 6.4 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 1
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed almost the entire month of February with an abdominal strain. In his first game back, he put up 36 points and nine rebounds against the Denver Nuggets, completely outplaying Nikola Jokic. He scored 30 again in the following game, before sitting out another game for injury management.
Gilgeous-Alexander should be everyone’s be the MVP at this point in the season. The only way he doesn’t win is if he is disqualified due to games played. SGA has missed 13 games, meaning he can only miss 4 more for the rest of the season.
No. 2 – Nikola Jokic, 28.7 PPG/ 12.6 RPG/ 10.3 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 2
Jokic is once again averaging a triple-double. He is hyper-efficient, shooting 40+% from three and a true shooting percentage of 67.6%. It seems like every week he breaks a NBA record or reaches a milestone. He just doesn’t have the case for MVP that SGA has.
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It’s not Jokic’s fault either. He had 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists in the loss to the Thunder. He also dropped a 35-point, 20-rebound triple-double since the last ladder. But when you look at team success, consistency and now head-to-head matchups, Jokic is clearly behind Gilgeous-Alexander.
NBA MVP Tier 2: 65-Game Rule Beneficiaries
No. 3 – Jaylen Brown, 29.0 PPG/ 7.1 RPG/ 5.0 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 3
There is a real possibility that both of the top two favorites for MVP won’t be eligible to win the award. It has never been as important to be in third place as it is right now, and currently, Jaylen Brown holds that spot. Brown doesn’t have third place locked up; betting odds have Cade Cunningham at third, and Victor Wembanyama‘s Spurs didn’t lose a single game in February and could finish with the best record in the NBA.
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With all that said, Brown hasn’t done anything wrong to lose his spot on the ladder. He had a triple-double in the first game after the All-Star break. He is no longer just a scorer, but is adding rebounds and assists to his point totals. The Celtics are No. 2 in the East and 12-3 in their last 15 games.
No. 4 – Victor Wembanyama, 23.4 PPG/ 11.1 RPG/ 2.9 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 5
If Gilgeous-Alexander is clearly ahead of Jokic due to head-to-head performances, then Victor Wembanyama has to be ahead of Cade Cunningham. Wembanyama’s averages aren’t jaw-dropping, but he contributes to winning at an MVP level.
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For example, he only had 10 points in a recent win against the Philadelphia 76ers. He also had 6 blocks and a +/- of 41. He has only finished one game with a +/- under 13 since the All-Star break. When Wemby is on the court, the Spurs outscore their opponents: it’s that simple.
No. 5 – Cade Cunningham, 25.2 PPG/ 5.8 RPG/ 9.9 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 6
Cade Cunningham has been dominating since the All-Star break. As mentioned before, he has the third-best odds to win MVP. So why isn’t he third? His consistency. Cunningham put up 42 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds against the New York Knicks, then was one rebound away froma triple-double against the Chicago Bulls. His next game? 16 points on 5/26 shooting, 19.2%.
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In his most recent game, he had 10 points on 25% shooting. With an MVP race this close, four players having a case for third place, that lack of consistency matters. Putting Cunningham at No. 5 doesn’t discredit his season; the other players are just having better ones.
No. 6 – Luka Doncic, 32.4 PPG/ 7.7 RPG/ 8.6 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 4
Luka Doncic drops down this list not because he is playing badly; he’s actually been playing better since the All-Star break. Doncic’s biggest stain on his season has been turnovers; he averages four per game, the most in the NBA. But he’s only had one game with more than 3 turnovers since the last ladder. He has a 38 and 41 point performance, and the Lakers are on a three-game win streak.
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The reason both Wembanyama and Cunningham drop him is an old-head take: his team isn’t good enough. The Lakers are No. 6 in the Western Conference. There is a world where they drop to No. 7 and are in the play-in. A team with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reeves in the Play-In Tournament. The good news is, Los Angeles is only 1.5 games behind the No. 3 seed Rockets, if they rise, so will Doncic.
NBA MVP Tier 3: Elite Scorers
No. 7 – Anthony Edwards, 29.7 PPG/ 5.2 RPG/ 3.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 7
I originally had Tyrese Maxey at No. 7 above Anthony Edwards, then Edwards dropped 41 points, including 13 in the fourth. He did that while only taking four free throws. That was his second 40-point game since the All-Star break. When it comes to scoring the basketball, Edwards is by far above everyone else in this list.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are 5-1 since the last ladder, putting them at No. 4 in the West and jumping the Nuggets. He’s even talking trash to his own coach. Edwards is one of the most entertaining stars in the NBA, and he has proved that he should be at the top of the “Elite Scorers” tier.
No. 8 – Tyrese Maxey, 29.0 PPG/ 4.2 RPG/ 6.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 8
As mentioned before, Maxey was originally No. 7 on this list. He’s scored 30+ three times since the last ladder, including a 39-point performance against the Timberwolves, where he outplayed Edwards. No Joel Embiid, no Paul George, and even no VJ Edgecombe: it doesn’t matter.
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Maxey has missed only two games this season and averages the most minutes in the NBA. In a year full of injuries, he’s been the most available superstar.
NBA MVP Tier 4: Recent Movers
No. 9 – Jalen Brunson, 26.7 PPG/ 3.4 RPG/ 6.2 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 9
Jalen Brunson keeps the same ranking but drops down a tier. He hasn’t been able to have the same scoring output as Edwards and Maxey, but he has been adding more assists. Brunson has had back-to-back double-doubles and has gone over his season assist average in five of the eight games since the last ladder.
The Knicks are rolling too. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and the No. 3 seed in the East, only 1.5 games behind the Celtics. Edwards and Maxey have separated from Brunson, but he is still playing well enough to lead this tier.
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No. 10 – Donovan Mitchell, 28.5 PPG/ 4.5 RPG/ 5.8 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 10
Injuries, injuries and more injuries for the 2026 MVP race. Donovan Mitchell has missed the last four games with a groin injury, but even before that, he wasn’t performing up to expectations. Mitchell was under his season average in points-per-game in three of the four games he’s played since the last ladder.
He doesn’t drop down the list because he’s still Donovan Mitchell and the season-long sample size says that he’s capable of being a 30-point-per-game scorer. The Cleveland Cavaliers are heating up at the right time. In the first edition of The Lead’s MVP Ladder, the Cavs were No. 7 in the East; now, they are No. 4. Mitchell should be back soon to help the Cavs make a late-season push for a top-three seed.
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No. 11 – Jamal Murray, 25.7 PPG/ 4.4 RPG/ 7.3 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 13
Jamal Murray rises two spots after playing in his first All-Star game. Being in Los Angeles over the weekend must have given him superpowers because he has scored 45, 25 and 39 points in his last three games. In that 45-point game, he shot 68.4% from the field, including a 10-point fourth quarter without a miss.
The one problem with Murray is that he frequently finds himself at the free-throw line with the chance to win or tie the game, and he always misses one. But if that’s the only problem, he’s had a really good season. Murray isn’t known as a regular-season player; he’s known as a playoff riser. He’s having a pretty great season for a playoff riser.
No. 12 – Kawhi Leonard, 27.8 PPG/ 6.3 RPG/ 3.7 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 11
The Clippers are no longer on the hot streak they were on before they traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac, but Kawhi Leonard is keeping them afloat. The Clippers have won three of the five games Leonard has played since the All-Star break. Leonard has scored 31 and 37 points in those two losses. He is putting the entire team on his back.
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The Clippers have a winning record in their last 10 games and are still No. 9 in the West. Kawhi is doing this while his second-best player is either John Collins or Bennedict Mathurin. Leonard is playing like a top-10 player this year, but his team is the reason he’s at No. 12.
No. 13 – Kevin Durant, 26.3 PPG/ 5.4 RPG/ 4.5 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 15
Kevin Durant barely made the last ladder. He was only there because there needed to be 15 players. He even had a tier just for himself at the bottom of the list. Since then, he’s scored 30+ points in three straight games. He had a 35-point performance on 70% shooting right after the All-Star break in a win against the Hornets.
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Even with all the off-court drama, the Rockets are still the No. 3 seed in the West. Durant has been the main reason. He is now comfortably on this list.
NBA MVP Tier 5: Affected by Trade Deadline
No. 14 – Jalen Johnson, 22.7 PPG/ 10.6 RPG/ 7.9 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: 12
Jalen Johnson emerged as the Atlanta Hawks’ best player with Trae Young injured. The Hawks fully committed to Johnson by trading Young and Kristaps Porzingis. In return The Hawks got Jonathan Kuminga, who has led them to wins in every game he’s played. Before Kuminga made his Hawks debut, Johnson had a 32-point, 10-rebound performance and a triple-double after the All-Star break.
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Johnson’s role might be capped by the emergence of Kuminga. In the only full game where the two of them played together, Johnson didn’t even score 10 points. There is enough speculation to move him down two spots, especially with the hot streaks from Durant and Murray.
No. 15 – James Harden, 24.3 PPG/ 4.9 RPG/ 8.1 APG
Last Ladder Ranking: N/A
I don’t even have to use words to make the case for James Harden to be on this list; all I have to show is Jarrett Allen‘s before and after numbers. The Cavaliers have won eight of the nine games that Harden has played in. They beat the Pistons without Mitchell.
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Harden isn’t putting up crazy stats. He’s around 20 points and 9 assists, but it’s clear that he has a tremendous effect on his teammates and on the win column for the Cavaliers.
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