The MVP race has been shaped as much by availability as dominance this season, and right now it still runs through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, the Thunder star remains the clear favorite in the latest MVP straw poll. Gilgeous-Alexander appeared on all one hundred ballots and led comfortably with 930 points, the only player with universal support.
Injuries have thinned the field. Several top candidates are in danger of falling short of the league’s 65-game requirement, which has quietly become one of the biggest factors in the race. Gilgeous-Alexander has missed time with an abdominal strain, but he’s expected to stay safely above the threshold.
Nikola Jokic remains second, though the gap has widened. Jokic missed significant time with a knee injury and now has very little margin left if he wants to remain eligible. The production has been there. The games played may not be.
The rest of the field trails by a sizable margin. Cade Cunningham and Victor Wembanyama were the only others to receive first-place votes, with Luka Doncic rounding out the top five.
Right now, this isn’t a debate. It’s Shai’s race. The only real question is whether health keeps it that way through April.
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