Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Should Be NBA MVP Front Runner Again

Who’s the MVP of the NBA at this point?

If you want to say Jalen Brunson because he was MVP of the NBA Cup – the only thing that’s really mattered so far this season – I’m OK with that.

Or maybe you’d opt for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best player on the best team. Guessing you wouldn’t get much push-back there.

But what about the guy putting up the best overall numbers? Nikola Jokic has been rewarded for that in the past, and he’s at it again.

Then there’s the greatest shot-blocking force since Bill Russell. The league’s clutchest shooter. Even the driving force on the league’s biggest surprise.

With six guys not named Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry already mentioned, it wouldn’t be fair if ONE distinction determined the winner.

Or for today's purposes, the frontrunner.

So we could go in one of two directions:

We could gather a bunch of cronies like Jerry Reinsdorf, Bob Cousy, Dick Bavetta, Dick Vitale, Don Nelson, Julius Erving and Dyan Cannon, serve unlimited Arnold Palmers and have them slop together some weekly rankings.

Or we could devise a scoring system that would provide a continually fresh unbiased ranking as the season goes along.

The latter would have to be somewhat complicated. But if you can calculate assist-to-turnover ratio without use of a calculator, I’m confident you can follow along.

For the sake of this discussion, we will use 11 guys worthy of early consideration this season: Giannis, Jaylen Brown, Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Curry, Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Donovan Mitchell and Victor Wembanyama.

We’ll compare each in five MVP-essential categories, assign a point value to each assessment and compile standings – easily updated at any and all in-season milestones – that will eventually lead to the winner.

Here’s my (mostly) numbers-based formulas used in evaluating the five sections, each criteria's ranking and a 10-point scoring system to more accurately distinguish between the players in each category …

Best Core Numbers

My scoring system: Scoring average (full value), rebound and assist averages (doubled), overall and 3-point shooting percentages (one-third of each).

Current rankings: Jokic, Giannis, Doncic, SGA, Wemby, Brown, Cunningham, Mitchell, Edwards, Brunson, Curry.

MVP points accumulated: Jokic 10, Giannis 8, Doncic 8, SGA 6, Wemby 6, Brown 6, Cunningham 5, Mitchell 5, Edwards 4, Brunson 4, Curry 3.

Best Defensive Player

My scoring system: 75% eye test, with blocks and steals averages mixed in.

Current rankings: Wemby, Giannis, Brown, Edwards, SGA, Cunningham, Jokic, Mitchell, Curry, Brunson, Doncic.

MVP points accumulated: Wemby 10, Giannis 8, Brown 8, Edwards 7, SGA 7, Cunningham 7, Jokic 6, Mitchell 5, Curry 3, Brunson 2, Doncic 2.

Best Clutch Performer

My scoring system: 40% total go-ahead or game-tying baskets in final 24 seconds, 30% shooting percentage on those attempts, 30% shooting percentage in final five minutes (and overtime) with score within five points.

Current rankings: Edwards, SGA, Curry, Giannis, Jokic, Brunson, Cunningham, Wemby, Brown, Mitchell, Doncic.

MVP points accumulated: Edwards 10, SGA 8, Curry 7, Giannis 6, Jokic 5, Brunson 4, Cunningham 4, Wemby 3, Brown 3, Mitchell 1, Doncic 1.

Best Player on the Best Team

My scoring system: This is simple … The more your team has won – and the more of those wins you’ve played – the higher your score.

Current rankings: SGA, Cunningham, Jokic, Brunson, Doncic, Edwards, Wemby, Brown, Mitchell, Curry, Giannis.

MVP points accumulated: SGA 10, Cunningham 8, Jokic 7, Brunson 7, Doncic 6, Edwards 6, Wemby 5, Brown 4, Mitchell 4, Curry 2, Giannis 1.

Player Responsible For Most Wins Above Expected

My Scoring System: A simple subtraction between each corresponding team’s current win total and its expected win total at this point, based on the BetMGM win projection for the season.

Current rankings: Cunningham, SGA, Jokic, Wemby, Doncic, Brown, Brunson, Edwards, Curry, Giannis, Mitchell.

MVP points accumulated: Cunningham 10, SGA 8, Jokic 7, Wemby 7, Doncic 7, Brown 6, Brunson 6, Edwards 5, Curry 2, Giannis 2, Mitchell 1.

Add it up and … Your post-NBA Cup MVP points leaders:

1, Gilgeous-Alexander 39

2, Jokic 35

3, Cunningham 34

4, Edwards 32

5, Wembanyama 31

6, Brown 27

7, Antetokounmpo 25

8, Doncic 24

9, Brunson 23

10, Curry 17

11, Mitchell 16