By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
As we slowly approach the halfway point of the season, opinions on the MVP race are gradually starting to fall within the NBA. For his part, Anthony Edwards also allowed himself a dig at Nikola Jokic, current title holder.
With the calendar year 2025 having now begun, we can seriously look at the battle for the end-of-season trophies. With just over thirty matches on the clock for all the teams, there are still around fifty matches to play but certain trends are already emerging, in particular for the MVP.
For the moment, three players seem to stand above the rest. Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example, allowed the Bucks to make a spectacular rise in the standings, after an abysmal start. For his part, Nikola Jokic Almost alone keeps the Nuggets alive (19-13, 4th in the West) with incredible statistical production based on 31 points, 12.9 rebounds and 9.5 assists on average at… 49% at three points.
Anthony Edwards backs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP
Suffice to say that the Serbian is the overwhelming favorite to keep his crown acquired last year, at least for the NBA which ranks him first in its power ranking. But for Anthony Edwardsit is rather the third thief of the gang who stands out, a certain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who has just put his Timberwolves in misery with 40 points. The guard didn’t mince his words about the Canadian after the match:
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It’s just indefensible. In one-on-one, you might as well give up and let him have the two points… I don’t know if the NBA could give the trophy to Jokic again, so yes, I would say Shai. Yes, he looks like the MVP of the season… He was incredible once again against us. He’s consistent every night, his team just has to give him the ball and let him do his thing.
“Let’s give the ball to Shai, he’ll do what he has to do, and behind that, we’ll just have to manage to do the rest”… I love it, it’s incredible. If he continues like this, I hope he gets the MVP, and honestly, I think he should have already gotten it last season but now he’s playing at a crazy level.
With 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists on average, SGA is a real metronome within the Thunder who are at the top of the Western Conference. Its stats may be a bit below those of its rivals, but OKC’s record could work in its favor. On the other hand, it’s difficult to say that someone really deserved the MVP more than the Joker last season, as the Denver pivot had crushed the competition.
Anthony Edwards makes it clear, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is his favorite for MVP this season. In his opinion, the Canadian should have already been rewarded last year… Perhaps this will be corrected in a few months, even if the battle is tough at the head of the race against Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
