The NBA season is less than two weeks away, with preseason already in full swing. After an active summer around the association, the NBA GM’s survey has finally come out, revealing what team GMs think of the league heading into the 2024-25 season. They believe a new MVP will be crowned this season, with Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder – 40%
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks – 30%
T-3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers – 7%
T-3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets – 7%
T-3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics – 7%
Other players to also receive votes were Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, and Anthony Edwards,
Shai finished second in MVP voting to Nikola Jokic last season, averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Third-place Luka Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists but his team being the No. 5 seed meant he wasn’t seriously considered as the MVP despite having arguably one of the most productive seasons in NBA history, which led to a Finals run as well.
The Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West last season and are heading into this season with their young core getting even better alongside new additions such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. OKC is expected to push for 60 wins, so picking Shai for MVP won’t be a hard bet.
Doncic’s production will always make him a contender, and this season the Mavs should be a top-four team from the get-go. If Doncic can elevate them to compete alongside the Thunder for the No. 1 seed, Luka could bring home his first league MVP as well.
The odds are best for Gilgeous-Alexander right now, given how well he played last season and how strong the Thunder look on paper to start this season.
NBA GMs Think Luka Doncic Is The Superior Point Guard
GMs were comfortable giving Shai the nod to be the MVP favorite this season due to many of the aforementioned reasons. The Thunder are the only West team people can comfortably say will be a contender for the top seed given the changes across the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks.
But the GMs picking Shai as the MVP favorite doesn’t mean they think he’s a better player than his 2018 Draft mate Doncic, who was voted as the best point guard in the NBA ahead of Shai.
1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks – 37%
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder – 30%
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – 23%
4. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks – 10%
Doncic’s offensive skill set might be the best in the NBA. He proved the same by taking the Mavericks through a packed West to the NBA Finals while dealing with multiple lower-body injuries. This also included defeating Shai’s OKC Thunder in the second round, showing how impactful Doncic can be as a star.
SGA is a scoring machine with strong defensive fundamentals, but he isn’t really a distributor like Doncic, which caused the Thunder to collapse in the Playoffs. These two point guards are the future of the NBA, so it’ll be exciting to see how they both perform this season in what will be a battle for not only the MVP but also Western Conference glory.
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