NBA MVP Mondays: Can Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham enter the top 5?
01/13/2025 03:49 PM
The NBA MVP discussion has been centered around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic in recent weeks. These have been arguably the two best players in the NBA this season, and they are each deserving of the MVP award. However, what about Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham? These two young, emerging stars are the reasons for the growth of the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, respectively, which is why we can’t overlook their status in the NBA MVP rankings.
While this still seems like a two-man race between SGA and Jokic, there is still plenty of time for those ranking outside of the top five for this award to make a run. In Wembanyama’s and Cunningham’s case, their chances of MVP are contingent on getting their teams to the playoffs.
The Spurs have not made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, their longest streak in franchise history. Wembanyama is ready to see that streak come to an end, as he has been one of the most impressive players this season. Although the Spurs have struggled as of late, losing three straight and four of their last six games overall, Wemby has them just 2.5 games back of the 6-seed in the Western Conference.
Back-to-back big performances against Jokic also helped build Wembanyama’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 very next game, San Antonio’s big man had 20 points, 23 rebounds, and four blocks in what turned out to be a 122-111 overtime win for Denver.
With Wembanyama rising in the All-Star voting and almost guaranteed a spot in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, his chances of winning MVP will only increase.
Much of the same can be said about Cunningham, as he will undoubtedly be an All-Star for the first time in his career like Wembanyama. The Pistons 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 out of all players.
Last season, the Pistons won a total of 14 games. Through 39 games, Detroit finds themselves with a 20-19 record in large part thanks 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 an actual spot instead of fighting in the play-in tournament, his chances of winning the MVP award will skyrocket.
Wembanyama and Cunningham continue to improve and lead their young teams to new heights, which is why we can’t yet count them out of the NBA MVP rankings. Do not be surprised if one or both players enter the top five of these rankings in the coming weeks.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 11 | Week 10 |Week 9 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2024-25 season 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 sits at the top of 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 guard has continued his dominant stretch of scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 25 points in eight straight, reaching this mark in 12 of his last 13 games. In doing so, the Thunder star is now tied with Giannis for the lead in scoring this season.
Amid all of his success and the records he is setting with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander remains focused on the season at large. He doesn’t care about the MVP chatter, and he is solely focused on winning.
“MVPs are never won after 40 games," Gilgeous-Alexander said regarding being crowded the early-season MVP. "40 more of these, and yeah, sure."
This seems to be the mindset of the entire Thunder team regarding that they don’t care about personal accolades. At the end of the year, SGA would surely be happy if he won the MVP award, but that is a long time from now. His focus, and that of the team, is on finding ways to get better every game. That is the main reason why Gilgeous-Alexander is the clear front-runner for this award.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous ranking: #2
2024-25 season 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 an illness, Jokic returned to the court and led the Nuggets to three straight double-digit wins, one of which came in overtime against Wemby and the Spurs. In this 122-111 overtime win against San Antonio, Jokic recorded 46 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds — his sixth 40-point game this season.
The crazy part about this performance is that 15 of Jokic’s 46 points came in the fourth quarter or overtime, as he scored nine of Denver’s 14 points in the extra period. Denver’s superstar continues to dominate with his near triple-double numbers, and he is now closing in on double-digit assists for the season.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Previous ranking: #4
2024-25 season stats: 31 games, 31.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 59.8 FG%
Giannis finds himself moving up in the NBA MVP rankings this week after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 3-1 record, their lone loss coming against the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Bucks have been a very up-and-down team since their NBA Cup championship, yet Antetokounmpo has been red-hot as of late, averaging 25.3 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor over his last four games.
Not only did Antetokounmpo shine in his latest MVP showdown with Wembanyama and the Spurs, but he also has the Bucks within striking distance of the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference. Between his team’s success and the fact that he’s 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 ranking: #5
2024-25 season 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 that the Knicks had hoped he would be when they sacrificed a ton of assets to get him from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he has been the most impactful rebounder in the NBA to this point.
Towns is ranked second only behind Domantas Sabonis for the league lead in rebounds, and he is also one double-double shy of Sabonis this season. When the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein, there were questions about how they would replace his ability to clear the glass. Well, Towns has left no doubt in his abilities, as he’s recorded at least 18 rebounds in eight different games this year, which is tied with Sabonis for the most.
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 ranking: #3
2024-25 season stats: 36 games, 28.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 46.2 FG%, 35.9 3P%
Throughout the Boston Celtics’ recent struggles, Jayson Tatum has remained consistent. The five-time All-Star has missed only three games, and he’s consistently been one of the best scorers in the league this season. In fact, Tatum has registered 31 total games scoring at least 20 points, which is tied with De’Aaron Fox for the second most in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander leads all players with 37 such performances.
What makes Tatum a legitimate MVP candidate compared to years past is the fact that he is nearly averaging a double-double and continues to be Boston’s best playmaker. Aside from averaging 28.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, Tatum has led the Celtics all year in assists. It is a difficult task to be the scorer he is while also making plays for others, yet this is an area that the 26-year-old has thrived in.
If the Celtics can get back to their winning and dominant ways, then Tatum’s MVP stock will rise once more.
Just missing the cut
6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (Ranked No. 6 last week)
7. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (Unranked last week)
8. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers (Ranked No. 7 last week)
9. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (Ranked No. 10 last week)
10. Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers (Ranked No. 8 last week)
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