Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Has Chance to Begin Season With MVP Statement

The Thunder star will face two of his biggest challengers for the MVP to begin the year.

Oct 15, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City’s superstar may be able to start the season with a couple of statement performances. 

After wrapping up preseason action with a game in Houston on Thursday night, the Thunder can now set their sights on another battle in Texas next week. Set to tip off the 2026-27 season with a Western Conference Finals rematch against the Spurs in San Antonio, the Thunder will again be in a must-watch matchup on opening night. 

After the conference finals went seven games and saw the young Spurs dethrone the Thunder, there will be no shortage of storylines going into the matchup. Somehow, one of the most overlooked storylines up to this point is the MVP battle between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. 

The two superstars have led their teams to the NBA Finals over the past couple of years, and they’ll both enter the season among the favorites to win the MVP. Checking just about every box possible for MVP consideration, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama will likely both be looking to come out of the gates strong. 

For Gilgeous-Alexander, making a statement in the opening game of the season would be quite simple. Going into San Antonio and beating the Spurs while outplaying Wembanyama would catch the attention of the entire league quite easily.

Of course, the MVP award isn’t won in just one night, but Gilgeous-Alexander will have consecutive opportunities to make his mark early. Regardless of how the two-time MVP plays on Tuesday night, he’ll have another MVP showdown for the home opener on Thursday. 

Hosting the Denver Nuggets in the second game of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander will have another opportunity to turn the MVP race in his favor quickly. Whether he’ll be trying for a bounce-back game or looking to solidify his spot at the top of the October MVP ladder, playing against Nikola Jokic always seems to bring out the best in the Thunder star.

After all, his performances against Denver in the final weeks of last season were instrumental in securing his back-to-back MVP win. It seems likely that both of these games will say a lot about how the West might shake out this season, and Gilgeous-Alexander putting on a show would be quite fitting considering how the past two seasons have gone. 

Ultimately, these will only count as two games for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, but as far as the MVP race is concerned, these could be matchups to look back on when voters make their decisions in April.