Can Jamal Murray take Nikola Jokic’s place?

As the NBA All-Star break draws ever closer, time is running out for anyone to nab the Oklahoma City Thunder star and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the MVP ranking list. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Vembanyama suffered disabilities due to injury, and Nikola Jokic they can’t even qualify for a prize.

However, there is a dark-horse candidate, who happens to be Jokic’s teammate. Is this finally the year Jamal Murray is he getting the love and respect he deserves?

The 28-year-old guard was never named an All-Star, and although he played an integral role in the Denver NuggetsIn the 2023 championship, he never received any kind of honor or recognition. But since Jokić was sidelined due to a knee injuryMurray led the Nuggets to one of the best records in the NBA this season.

With Jokic out, the Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon, Christian Brown and Cam Johnson for extended periods during the first half of the season. Still, Denver is tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference, and Murray is one of the best guards in the league.

In 41 games, Murray averaged 26.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from 3-point range. All of those numbers are career highs for the nine-year veteran, and he is one of 11 different players to score at least 50 points in a game this year.

Jamal Murray was UNSTOPPABLE tonight against the Wizards 🔥

🔸40 points (15 in the 4th KTR)
🔸 6 assists
🔸 2 blocks

🔸15-of-24 FY
🔸5-of-8 3PT
🔸7-of-8 FT pic.twitter.com/Idpmb1f345

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 18, 2026

If Jokic doesn’t return to the court soon after his injury and becomes ineligible for the MVP award, all the attention on him in Denver should immediately go to Murray, given the season he’s put together.

Gilgeous-Alexander may still have the edge over Murray and the rest of the field for this award, but this is a statement season for Murray. With the way he’s playing, he might even be able to lead Denver to their second championship in the last four seasons in a matter of months.

Murray made the NBA MVP list for the first time this season, but everyone around the league continues to look to Gilgeous-Alexander for the top spot.

Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: 13th week | Sunday the 12th | Sunday 11 | 10th week | 9th week | 8th week | week 7 | 6th week | 5th week | 4th week | 3rd week | 2nd week | 1st week

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous rank: #1

2025-26 stats: 45 games, 32.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 55.9 FG%, 39.4 3P%

At this point it will be difficult for anyone to catch Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP rankingsespecially if Jokic can’t win the award.

As a result of back-to-back 40- and 47-point performances last week, Gilgeous-Alexander is closing in Luka Dončić for the lead in this year’s points race. Not to mention, SGA’s streak of 20 points in consecutive games is closing in on Wilt Chamberlain territory.

Make it 117 consecutive games in which the Thunder’s MVP has scored at least 20 points, making him extremely close to Wilt’s record of 126 consecutive games with at least 20 points. It seems very likely that Gilgeous-Alexander will be able to break this record in February.

2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets*

Previous rank: #2

2025-26 stats: 32 games, 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 60.5 FG%, 43.5 3P%

Jokić’s time is running out to return to the field. After suffering a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise on Dec. 29 against the Miami Heat, the Nuggets’ three-time MVP has missed 14 straight games.

The good news is that the Nuggets went 9-5 in this stretch thanks in large part to Murray’s leadership and MVP abilities. The bad news for Jokic is that he is allowed to miss three more games to remain eligible for the award.

He’s already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, pushing his magic number to two games. Will Jokic be back on the court by the end of the week for the Nuggets? That will determine whether he can stay on the NBA MVP list.

3. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers

Previous rank: #4

2025-26 Stats: 36 games, 33.4 points, 8.7 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 46.7 FG%, 33.4 3P%

Luka Dončić continues to work Things like Luka Doncic for the Los Angeles Lakersas he scored at least 32 points in every game he played last week for Los Angeles. Doncic recorded two double-doubles and a triple-double, his fifth triple-double of the season.

The Lakers star now has 26 games this season with at least 30 points, trailing only Gilgeous-Alexander (32) for the most in the NBA.

As good as Luka has been, it’s hard to imagine him passing Gilgeous-Alexander at the top of these rankings. Doncic will obviously jump to 2nd place if Jokic is declared ineligible for awards and accolades, but now there is a big gap between SGA and the rest of the field.

In order for Doncic to have any chance of winning the MVP, he will have to finish the season leading the league in scoring and put the Lakers in the top 2 of the Western Conference at the very least.

4. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics

Previous rank: #3

2025-26 Stats: 42 games, 29.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 48.4 FG%, 36.2 3P%

Jaylen Brown put together an incredibly respectable season for the Boston Celtics, and like Murray, he proved himself to be a star in his own right and not some afterthought in the shadow of another All-NBA talent.

While Murray was always hidden behind Jokic’s excellence, Brown never got the credit he deserved due to the presence of Jayson Tatum in Boston. With Tatum recovering from an Achilles injury, Brown has become arguably the best two-way wing in the world.

In four games last week, the Celtics star averaged 24.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. Those are MVP-like numbers for Brown, especially since he had two double-doubles and a triple-double in this span.

His 27-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound night against the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 23 was Brown’s second triple-double of the season, making him one of 15 different players to have multiple triple-doubles.

Previous rank: #6

2025-26 Stats: 38 games, 25.4 points, 9.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 45.5 FG%, 32.7 3P%

By the end of the season, it would not be surprising if Cunningham is with SGA and Doncic as a finalist for the MVP award.

The Detroit Pistons sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and Cunningham is preparing for a historic year in Detroit. Outside of Isaiah Thomas, it’s hard to think of a guard in Pistons history who has done what Cunningham has this year, and his resume continues to grow.

Only two players are averaging at least nine assists per game this year: Jokic and Cunningham. The Pistons star also helps his team be one of the better defensive units in the league with his 1.5 steals per game.

Cunningham plays like an All-Star on both ends of the court, and is currently ranked 19th in scoring. It will be another All-NBA season for Cunningham, and after finishing seventh in MVP voting a season ago, he will be firmly in the top five this year.

It’s just missing the cut

6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (5th place last week)*

7. Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets (unranked last week)

8. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 8 last week)

9. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks (seventh last week)

10. Scotty Barnes – Toronto Raptors (unranked last week)

*Signals player is in danger of reaching the minimum threshold of 65 games for awards/recognition.