Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the frontrunner for MVP in most conversations for the better part of the 2025-26 season. Between his generational efficiency as a scorer, underrated playmaking, elite late-game heroics, and overwhelming impact on winning, a second consecutive MVP award seemed inevitable.
Unfortunately, Victor Wembanyama making a case for himself as MVP appears to have changed the mainstream narrative in ways that prove one critical point: Gilgeous-Alexander is already being taken for granted. In a sense, it's the one true mark of an all-time great.
Wembanyama's case for himself revolved around three critical points. One is properly valuing defense, the second is understanding that offensive value encapsulates more than scoring, and the third was the head-to-head record between the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
While the third point can't be truly picked apart, the first two speak to both Wembanyama's greatness and a misunderstanding of what Gilgeous-Alexander brings to the table.
Unfortunately, the mainstream media is taking Wembanyama's comments and running with them on their gigantic platforms. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN's First Take, for instance, has changed his tune and backed Wembanyama over Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP.
Though Wembanyama is by no means an invalid choice for MVP, it appears as though Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness is being taken for granted. There's no greater backhanded compliment than that.
MVP narrative is taking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness for granted
Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 31.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.7 three-point field goals made per game on .555/.388/.888 shooting. Those numbers speak for themselves, yet the volume doesn't seem to be turned up quite loud enough.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to post the second-highest true shooting percentage by a player averaging at least 30.0 points per game in NBA history at .666.
Furthermore, Gilgeous-Alexander's assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.04 is the best of any of the nine qualified players with a usage rate of 30.0 or higher. The next-leading players are LaMelo Ball at 2.56 and Luka Doncic at 2.10—both of whom are far from even beginning to approach the Thunder star's mark.
Gilgeous-Alexander also ranks No. 1 amongst said players in eFG% and true shooting percentage, thus putting how unrivaled he truly is in terms of combining volume with efficiency.
Sometimes, a player is so good that voters look for reasons to choose anyone else
Furthermore, Gilgeous-Alexander has sat out of 21 fourth quarters during the 2025-26 season, per NBA.com, which has inevitably capped his already elite production. When he does play, he's averaging 7.5 points per fourth quarter on .551/.422/.900 shooting. Amongst qualified players, only Donovan Mitchell is scoring more points in the final frame of regulation.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also No. 1 in what the NBA describes as clutch situations, averaging 6.2 points on .490/.351/.860 shooting.
Though Wembanyama made a great case for himself and is even right to say offense is about more than scoring, Gilgeous-Alexander's case is too layered to limit to one skill. He's not just scoring with elite volume; he's generationally efficient, dominant in the clutch, and criminally under-appreciated as a playmaker.
The narrative may thus be frustrating, but Gilgeous-Alexander should take it as the backhanded compliment that it is: He's so dominant that mainstream media is looking for reasons to vote for someone else.