Giannis Antetokounmpo already has the résumé of a legend, but the chase for a third MVP is going to run through some serious firepower.
That’s the reality in a league packed with stars. Antetokounmpo has done just about everything a player can do, all with the Milwaukee Bucks, and now he’s trying to add another trophy to the case. The Miami Heat would love to see that happen, but the road back to the top of the MVP race is crowded.
Victor Wembanyama looks like the biggest obstacle right now. The talent is impossible to miss, and the size, skill, and sheer weirdness of his game make him feel like an “NBA alien,” to use the phrase that fits best.
After a Finals loss to the New York Knicks, Wembanyama is heading into the new season with something to prove. That series exposed a few flaws, and he surely noticed them too.
The scary part for everyone else is that Wembanyama isn’t just brilliant; he’s getting better, and his team is in a strong spot as well. Team success matters in these races, and the Spurs are expected to be a top 2 seed in the West at minimum. That’s why he’s the early MVP pick here, even ahead of Antetokounmpo.
Joel Embiid belongs in the conversation too. He already owns an NBA MVP from the 2022-2023 season, and the question with him is never talent. It’s health, plus whether the team around him can keep pace.
This season, though, the setup looks better than it has in the past. The 76ers added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, and that should push them into the mix for the #1 seed in the East. In fact, they’re being picked as the favorite to land there.
That kind of roster help could matter a lot for Embiid. With two proven Finals MVPs alongside him and James described as the best player of his era, there should be less pressure on Embiid to carry everything himself.
Tyreese Maxey also needs to be part of the picture, since he’s a superstar in his own right. The idea is that all of that support could help Embiid stay healthier.
If that happens, the projection is simple: Embiid could put up huge numbers, the 76ers could finish as a top seed in the East, and he’d have a real shot at a second MVP.
Then there’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP and, in this view, the best player in the league right now. He plays for the best team in the league, and the production is absurd. He scores in bunches, makes it look easy, and drives winning as well as anyone.
The debate around Gilgeous-Alexander often gets noisy, and plenty of fans seem eager to downplay what he does. But the production is real, and so is the way he gets to the free throw line. The defense is fouling him; that part gets overlooked too often.
Even so, a third straight MVP would be a tough ask. Voters tend to drift away from a player once he’s already won one, and especially after two in a row.
Still, leaving Gilgeous-Alexander off this list would make no sense. He’s the one wearing the crown, and he remains a major threat to keep it.
In Other News...
Pacers Let Go Of A Young Pick Who Already Found Another Shot
Taelon Peter has already found another NBA landing spot after a quick exit from Indiana, agreeing to a deal with the Spurs and setting himself up for training camp in San Antonio. The 2025 second-round pick now gets a fresh look with a franchise that has been active in bringing in recent draft talent, and he is expected to join the offseason group without any roster gymnastics from the team.
For the Spurs, the move fits neatly into a summer built around sorting through young players and filling out the back end of the roster. San Antonio still has openings on its offseason roster, which gives Peter a straightforward path into camp and a chance to compete alongside other recent additions, while the real question is how he fits into the mix once the evaluation period gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Are Copying The Spurs In One Risky Way
The Trail Blazers have been borrowing a familiar look from San Antonio as they reshape their roster, and the resemblance is not subtle. Portland has leaned into a mix of young, versatile guards and a defense-first identity, the kind of structure the Spurs have long valued, while also showing a willingness to mine the Spurs pipeline for players who fit that approach.
Jeremy Sochan is the latest name to tie the two organizations together, but he is hardly the first. Portland has also cycled through former Spurs like Drew Eubanks, Blake Wesley and Sidy Sissoko in recent years, which makes the overlap feel more than accidental and raises the question of how much of this is philosophy, and how much is a team trying to copy a model it believes can still be dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Quiet Offseason Puts Wembanyama Title Hopes Under The Microscope
After falling short in the Finals, the Spurs took a measured approach to the offseason, leaning into continuity rather than chasing a splashy reset. San Antonio added veteran size with Tobias Harris, drafted rookies Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., kept Harrison Barnes and Jordan McLaughlin in the fold, and locked in both Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie on extensions as it tried to build around a young core without tearing up the roster.
The bet is obvious: more experience, more physicality, and fewer moving parts as Wembanyamas window starts to come into focus. Even so, the quiet nature of the summer left the Spurs only No. 14 in an NBA offseason evaluation, especially when stacked against teams that made louder, more aggressive swings. For San Antonio, the question now is whether restraint was a sign of patience or a missed chance to push harder while title hopes are still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]