The NBA regular season just started, but it’s not too early to look ahead to the league’s most significant individual award.
It’s clear the field for Most Valuable Player is going to be a crowded one, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s run of two consecutive awards may be in peril. It’s also clear that injuries are going to take their toll on the race for the prize.
Several significant ailments, none bigger than Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards’ knee issue, are going to complicate résumé, as players try to meet the 65-game threshold for eligibility.
It has been an intriguing start to the season, so here is the first iteration of the USA TODAY Sports' NBA Most Valuable Player rankings:
shake up league, winless Miami Heat plummet
USA TODAY Sports NBA MVP Week 1 rankings
5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
▶ Stats: 22.6 points, 5.6 rebound, 7.8 assists in 5 games
Though other players may have better numbers, Cunningham is the driving force behind Detroit’s offense and the kindling for its success. No team began the season with a more difficult schedule than the Pistons, who opened with the Celtics, Heat, 76ers and Knicks. Detroit won all but the one against New York. Cunningham handles the ball, scores, creates for his teammates, rebounds and is a willing defender. And he’s doing all this without fellow All-Star Jalen Duren (hamstring).
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
▶ Stats: 26.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 5 games
Gilgeous-Alexander, in short order, should move up this list. The Thunder have already been hit with a massive rash of injuries, with three starters missing The Oct. 28 loss against the Mavericks. Jalen Williams (ankle) may miss the entire season, and Cason Wallace (torn labrum), Chet Holmgren (knee tendinitis) and Alex Caruso (ankle) appear likely to miss extended time. That will likely make Gilgeous-Alexander’s life more difficult as teams devote more defensive attention to stop him. But if he continues his statistical consistency, it also makes his MVP case stronger because the Thunder will be so shorthanded.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat
▶ Stats: 27.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists in 5 games
Miami’s start to the season was not very pretty. Bam Adebayo and the Heat’s role players have struggled to find cohesion and rhythm as Miami continues to incorporate Antetokounmpo. Yet, in the Heat’s first win of the season, Oct. 28 against the Hawks, Miami reverted to a pick-and-roll offense, which suits Antetokounmpo. The result was noteworthy; he dropped 24 points but was dominant on the glass, scooping 18 rebounds. It will take some time for this team to reach its potential, but the one evident truth early on has been Antetokounmpo’s dominance. Miami now has a game-changing threat who can attack the rim at will. He already leads the league with an absurd 19.2 points in the paint per game. Miami will need to win more games, however, for Antetokounmpo to be taken more seriously for this award.
2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
▶ Stats: 25.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists in 5 games
So far, his numbers, as they have been the past couple of seasons, are superb. But the thing about quantifying Wembanyama’s impact is that you need to account for the intangible. He remains the most singularly effective defensive presence in the world. Sure, he leads the league in blocks (3.8 per game), but Wembanyama forces players to rethink abandon attacks into the paint. The Spurs did start slowly with two losses to open the season but have since won three in a row. If San Antonio continues to be a primary threat out West – especially if Oklahoma City slips with all of its injuries – Wembanyama’s case will be undeniable.
1. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
▶ Stats: 36.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists in 4 games
The back tightness bears watching, but no player has singlehandedly mattered more thus far to his team’s productivity and success than Dončić, who leads the NBA in scoring. In fact, Dončić has accounted for 28.1% of Los Angeles’ points in the games he has played; and with assists, his offensive impact is even more pronounced. With LeBron James back in the East with the 76ers, Dončić is the anchor and offensive catalyst. His defense remains a massive liability, but no player thus far has been more in control and playing at his pace and structure than Dončić.
Also under consideration: Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets; Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks; Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA MVP rankings: Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's reign may be in peril
