Can Tyrese Maxey sustain elite play through absurd minutes?

Not even two full weeks have passed since the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, but it has become clear who will be in the MVP discussion all year long — a list that includes several past MVP awards and others who have finished in the top five of the voting in recent years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderthe current NBA MVP, has Oklahoma City Thunder as the only undefeated team at 7-0, and Victor Vembanyama continues to set new records that no one in the NBA thought could be achieved. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncicand Nikola Jokic are also names associated with the MVP award, but there is a new contender rising in the ranks.

That would be it Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese McKaywho is as fast and dominant as the others on this MVP list.

Last season was a lost cause for Maxey and the 76ers because of all the injuries that piled up. Maxi missed a total of 30 games and was shut down for a year with a finger tendon problem.

The script changed this year in Philly, and with Maxi in full force he took a huge step forward in his sixth season.

Through the first six games of the 2025-26 season, Maxey averaged 33.7 points, 9.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. Not only has McKay established himself as one of the best pure scorers in the league, but he’s also finding ways to get the likes of VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes involved.

With Joel Embiid on a minutes limit and Paul George still sidelined, Maxey stepped up and took the crown in Philly. Now, he could expect a lot more this season, having entered the MVP conversation early in the season.

However, the question is whether McKay can continue to play at the level he is at while playing the most minutes in the league.

Previous NBA MVP rankings for the 2023-24 season: 1st week

Previous rank: #1

2025-26 stats: 6 games, 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 4.7 blocks, 1.3 steals, 52.7 FG%, 28.6 3P%

What Wembanyama has done to start the season cannot go unnoticed, and neither can the San Antonio Spurs, who are 5-1 in their first six games. Now that he’s finally healthy and in the best shape of his life, Wemby has become the new face of the NBA with his video game-like stats and jaw-dropping plays.

In addition to being the youngest player in league history with 40 points and 15 rebounds in a season opener, Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history with at least 150 points, 70 rebounds, 20 blocks and five three-pointers in a five-game stretch.

Only two players in the last 25 years have averaged at least 30 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game in five games. Coincidentally, the other is fellow Spurs legend Tim Duncan.

Although he struggled in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs, recording just nine points and nine rebounds, it doesn’t overshadow the fact that Wembanyama won the league in the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season.

It will be interesting to see if he can keep the Spurs atop the Western standings and continue his elite two-way production.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

Previous rank: #4

2025-26 stats: 5 games, 34.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, 68.4 FG%, 62.5 3P%

The general assumption going into the 2025-26 NBA season was that the MVP award would go to one of the best players in the Western Conference who had his team at the top of the standings. That is why Jokić, Dončić and Gildžus-Aleksandar were the first favorites for the award.

However, the Eastern Conference is wide open this season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is making the most of his opportunity to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the top of the standings.

The Bucks are currently 4-2 this season and Giannis has been on a tear in the five games he has played.

After he became the first player ever to have 60 points, 30 rebounds and 10 assists through his first 2 games of the season, Antetokounmpo set a new record. After a 37-8-7 game against the New York Knicks, Giannis became the first player that he ever had 140 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in the first four games of a season.

The only reason Giannis has jumped to second in the MVP rankings in two weeks, like Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic, is because of where the Bucks are positioned for him. If Milwaukee can continue to play at a high level and possibly compete for the top seed in the East, there will be a lot of buzz surrounding Giannis’ chances of winning this award for a third time.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous rank: #2

2025-26 stats: 7 games, 33.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.1 blocks, 52.6 FG%, 26.8 3P%

At what point do people stop criticizing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and credit him with being the best isolation player in the league right now? Say what you will about Gilgeous-Alexander only getting his points from the free throw line, but the joke’s on you because he doesn’t even lead the league in free throw attempts.

The Thunder star’s efficiency has been huge to start the new season, and that’s to be expected since he played without Jalen Williams by his side.

At this point, who knows when the Thunder will actually lose their first game? Gilgeous-Alexander continues to elevate his game to new heights as a versatile playmaker, and his output is higher than a season ago when he ran away with the MVP award.

This has a chance to be another historic season for the Thunder, putting Gilgeous-Alexander firmly back in the MVP conversation.

4. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers

Previous rank: #3

2025-26 Stats: 4 games, 41.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 54.5 FG%, 29.2 3P%

When Luka played this season, he was sensational. The only problem and the reason why he fell lower than the others in the MVP rankings is that he has played in four of the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven games so far.

The Lakers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season, and Doncic has his fingerprints all over it.

During the first week of the season, Doncic recorded consecutive double-doubles of 40 points. After returning from injury, Doncic had 44 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ 117-112 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Cup. Doncic recorded his first triple-double of the year on Sunday night with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the team’s 130-120 win over the Miami Heat.

It is now 165 points for Doncic in four games this season, which is most of the Lakers players in franchise history through the first four games of the season. Jerry West held the record since the 1969-70 season with 154 total points.

Doncic continues to etch his name into Lakers lore, and averaging over 40 points per game early in the season is ridiculous. As long as he stays healthy, Luka will be in the MVP race.

5. Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers

Previous rank: #8

2025-26 Stats: 6 games, 33.7 points, 9.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 46.3 FG%, 46.4 3P%

The most unexpected player on the MVP ladder through two weeks has to be Tyrese McKay. The reason he finds his way into the top five and jumps Nikola Jokic in the rankings is not because he has a better chance to win the award when looking at the entire season, but because he deserves credit for the 76ers being at the top of the East.

With how wide open the Eastern Conference is this season, why can’t the 76ers have a bounce-back year and get the No. 1 seed?

That’s what Makey and the Sixers’ players have been asking themselves all offseason, and now we’re seeing the product of their hard work. Maxi has been outstanding in the young campaign, leading the Sixers in scoring and third in the league behind only Luka and Giannis. He is also one of six players to average at least nine assists per game.

The only issue with Maxey regarding the MVP race is whether he can continue to produce at this insanely high level while averaging 42.5 minutes per game in the league. While he turns 25 on Tuesday and is still young, Maxey hasn’t played more than 70 games since his sophomore season.

Fatigue and heavy minutes will catch up to him at some point, which is why his hot start could just be a case of early-season adrenaline. It’s not that McKay isn’t an All-Star and All-NBA player, but playing over 40 minutes per game and staying available for Philadelphia just isn’t a viable scenario to believe in.

For now, we have to give credit to Maxey and the 76ers for their 5-1 start to the season.

It’s just missing the cut

6. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets (fifth place last week)

7. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors (No. 6 last week)

8. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (unranked last week)

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

10. Julius Randle – Minnesota Timberwolves (unranked last week)