NBA MVP Rankings: Young guns enter the fray

A month into the 2025-26 campaign, here are 10 candidates who have made the strongest early cases for the NBA's most prestigious individual accolade.

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Kevin Durant is the No. 1 scoring option the ascending Rockets desperately needed in clutch situations, but Sengun is the two-way force that makes the team click. The Turkish center has improved in nearly all facets of his game after earning his first All-Star selection last year. He's averaging a career-high 22.4 points despite not having familiar pick-and-roll partner Fred VanVleet on the court.

Sengun has helped compensate for Houston's lack of a starting point guard through his growth as a playmaker. His 7.1 assists per game are tops among all frontcourt players not named Nikola Jokic, and he's stretching the floor with much-improved 3-point shooting; he's at 49% on 2.9 attempts per game after shooting 23.3% last season.

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The Cavaliers have been inconsistent, and other guards around the league are emerging onto the scene, but don't forget about Mitchell, who's quietly off to his best start yet. He's averaging a career-best 29.9 points on an efficient 50.3% shooting from the field, the highest mark of his decorated nine-season career.

Cleveland is 12 points better per 100 possessions with Mitchell on the court than off, and its 118.9 offensive rating with him on the floor would lead the NBA. The six-time All-Star has kept the 12-7 Cavs afloat with Darius Garland playing in only five games and Evan Mobley's offensive inconsistencies persisting.

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It's a miracle that the 76ers are flirting with a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid and Paul George are a costly $110-million band of bumps and bruises, and the team's defense plummets to the league's second worst in the absence of the former, whose offensive contributions have withered. Maxey is now the present and future of the organization.

The 25-year-old guard leads the league in minutes (40.4) and is second in scoring with 33 points per game. His career-high 54-point performance in Thursday's thrilling overtime win versus the Bucks cemented his status as Philadelphia's focal point. Maxey also recorded nine assists, three steals, and three blocks in the outing, making him just the fourth player in NBA history to total 500-plus points and 100-plus assists in the first 15 games of a season.

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Julius Randle has arguably been as important for the Timberwolves as Edwards this season, especially because the latter has missed a few games due to injury. But make no mistake, Edwards is still the engine that makes Minnesota run. While his assists, 3-point volume, and percentage are slightly down from the last campaign, the three-time All-Star leads the team in scoring.

He's the driving force on the league's fourth-best offense and regularly delivers superstar performances, like when he dropped an efficient 41 points during the T-Wolves' season opener versus the Trail Blazers or when he scored another 41 against the Suns on Friday.

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Much like last season, Wembanyama's candidacy for awards is at risk due to injury. Nonetheless, the Frenchman has taken another leap in his third campaign, and the Spurs are a far improved team, which invariably validates his claim to hardware. Much of that is thanks to his growth as a player, as the center is attempting 4.8 threes per contest, down from 8.8 a season ago. That's a sign of Wembanyama identifying inefficiencies in his game.

In a Nov. 10 victory over the Bulls, Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and five 3-pointers in a game. He followed that showing two nights later with a 31-point triple-double versus the Warriors. Those are MVP numbers from a talent who's certain to be in the discussion for years to come.

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After making his first All-NBA appearance last season, Cunningham has leaped from star to superstar to open this campaign. As a result, the Pistons have gone from tying an NBA-record 28 straight losses to first place in the East in two seasons. Cunningham's averaging career highs in points and assists despite shooting a career-low 28.4% from deep.

He's emerged as one of the best pick-and-roll prowlers in the NBA, processing layers of defense and making the right reads at his highest level since entering the league in 2021. Cunningham makes everyone around him better, explaining why Detroit is 15-2 despite dealing with multiple injuries.

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Antetokounmpo's hopeful short-term absence due to a groin injury should emphasize how important he is to a Bucks team that lacks a dependable support cast. In 13 games this season, the two-time MVP has recorded fewer than 30 points on just three occasions, and one of those was a 14-minute outing versus the Cavs in which he sustained the injury.

Antetokounmpo is posting a league-high 12 made field goals per game on a career-best 62.9% field-goal percentage. That's astounding when taking into account that Milwaukee doesn't have another All-Star, meaning he's constantly seeing double-teams. No player on this list shoulders a bigger burden than Antetokounmpo.

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Doncic leads the NBA in points per game and is fourth in assists per contest. He's carried a Lakers offense that relies heavily on his pick-and-roll brilliance. With Austin Reaves emerging as a reliable secondary option and LeBron James returning from injury, Los Angeles looks like a contender at 12-4.

Doncic is posting the highest usage rate of his career at 39.6% and is nearly averaging a triple-double. He's scored at least 40 points in one-third of his games played and leads the league in pick-and-roll points. Doncic is one of the very best players in the world, and a team that revolves around him deserves respect as a title threat.

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The Thunder are on pace to eclipse last season's 68-14 mark and join the 1995-96 Bulls and 2015-16 Warriors as the only teams to win 70-plus games, due in no small part to Gilgeous-Alexander's contributions. Oklahoma City's 17-1 start is even more impressive when considering that Jalen Williams, who was the team's second-leading scorer in 2024-25, hasn't played yet.

Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 32.2 points per game on 54.3% shooting. It's also important to note his tidiness with the ball, as his 1.8 turnovers per contest (3.72 assist-to-turnover ratio) are a remarkably low return for a primary ball-handler who's averaging 33.1 minutes. And keep in mind, he's sat the entire fourth quarter in 11 of 18 games, so his numbers could be much higher.

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Somehow, after winning three MVPs, Jokic continues to elevate his game every year. He's averaging a triple-double with 29.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 11.1 assists while shooting 43.4% from three. His true shooting percentage of 73.6% is on pace for the best single-season mark in NBA history. He's the NBA's most efficient post player, scoring a whopping 1.39 points per post-up. By comparison, Sengun, who's having an All-NBA season and is the only player who earns more post possessions per game than Jokic, averages 0.93 points per post touch.

The 2023 Finals MVP leads the league in virtually every individual advanced statistic, including player impact estimate, despite his usage rate not ranking in the top 30. Jokic generates a quality shot for himself or a teammate on nearly every possession regardless of the defensive coverage. He's led the Nuggets to a 13-4 start. For all his success, this is the best start to a season in Jokic's career.