Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander The NBA MVP Frontrunner?
What Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing this season can't be ignored. Last season, he finished No. 5 in the MVP voting, despite the Oklahoma City Thunder having the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.
This season, the Kentucky product is averaging 30.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game in 66 contests. He's done so while leading the Thunder to a current record of 47-20, which leaves them atop the Western Conference with 15 games left in the regular season.
With his current production and the Thunder being one of the top teams in the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexnader is currently the MVP frontrunner, according to NBA Award Tracker.
Right behind Gilgeous-Alexander is Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. Of course, Jokic has won the award twice and is an NBA Champion and Finals MVP. The 7-footer brings a solid resume for Gilgeous-Alexander to compete with.
The Nuggets are half a game behind the Thunder in the standings, and Jokic is averaging 25.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game -- a near triple-double -- to add to his MVP case. One thing working in Gilgeous-Alexander's favor is Jokic having won the award twice. Voter fatigue is very real and could give Gilgeous-Alexander the edge over Jokic.
Behind those two in the awards race, according to the tracker, is Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic. His statistics are video game-like, averaging 34.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game. Still, his team stands at No. 7 in the Western Conference and remains in the thick of the play-in race.
If Doncic led the Mavericks to a higher seed, it could finally be his turn to win the award. Without the regular season success, though, it's hard for voters to lean his way, despite the incredible numbers on paper.
Gilgeous-Alexander combines the averages with team success, and if the Thunder can hold the No. 1 seed, it'll be hard to not consider him the frontrunner for the award.
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