Jalen Brunson, Victor Vembanyama are fighting for the top 5

The NBA Cup has to mean something, right? Maybe not every team in the league takes it as seriously as others, but several MVP contenders took part in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, and it was Jalen Brunson who won the season championship over Victor Vembanyama.

Although Vembanjama and his San Antonio Spurs they were the ones who took down the reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brunson and New York Knicks they were the ones who had the last laugh.

Brunson was fantastic throughout this year’s tournament, being named to the All-Tournament team and earning the 2025 NBA Cup MVP. Mike Brown has always used his press conferences to emphasize how underrated Brunson isand it was no different in Las Vegas when the Knicks were in the spotlight.

“Obviously, the MVP is Jaylen,” Brown said after the Knicks’ locker room celebration. “I hope that now on this stage, you guys, when you start talking about MVP candidates, his name is one of the first ones you hear, because on this stage, to end it with a win, again while you’re winning, is MVP in my opinion.”

The Knicks are currently 20-8 this season, just two games behind the Detroit Pistons for the best record in the Eastern Conference, and appear to be the team to beat in the East this season.

Brunson has once again put together an All-NBA season as the calendar prepares for 2026, scoring at least 20 points in all but four games this season. Since winning the NBA Cup, Brunson hasn’t slowed down, putting together a season-best performance with 47 points and eight assists in Sunday’s 132-125 win over the Miami Heat.

So where does Brunson stand in this year’s NBA MVP race?

Although Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokicand Luka Dončić appear to be in a class of their own, the Knicks point guard is rapidly rising through the ranks and putting his name firmly in the hat for this year’s award. With his consistent play and elite results, Brunson leapfrogged Vembanyama into the top five of this week’s MVP rankings.

Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: 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: 27 games, 32.5 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 55.4 FG%, 43.2 3P%

After falling short of his goal of winning the NBA Cup, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back in a big way with back-to-back 30-point performances. However, his recent outing of 35 points against The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 112-107as the Thunder suffered just their third loss of the year and second loss in their last three games.

While Oklahoma City went on a rough road, if we even want to label it that way, Gilgeous-Alexander continued to score. The reigning league MVP now has 99 consecutive games of at least 20 points, making him 27 games away from breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 127 consecutive 20-plus point games.

At this point, it’s hard not to envision Gilgeous-Alexander setting a new record this season, and it will be a strong addition to his MVP resume. The Thunder remain the best team in the NBA by a wide margin, and the Gilgeous-Alexander play has put them in this position to win another title.

2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets

Previous rank: #2

Stats for the 2025/26 season: 27 games, 29.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 60.5 FG%, 42.1 3P%

The minimal gap between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic is starting to narrow. What Jokic did with Aaron Gordon and Christian Brown outside of the Denver Nuggets lineup cannot go unnoticed, nor can the fact that he leads his team in virtually every major statistical category.

Last week, Jokic averaged 29.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game en route to two triple-doubles and leading the Nuggets to a 20-7 record. Jokic even recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most assists by a center in NBA history.

Since the beginning of December, Jokic averaged 30.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game, while shooting 54.6 percent from the floor. His efficiency is near the top of the league, considering the amount of shots he takes each game, and these triple-double numbers from Jokic can no longer be ignored.

Once he’s named Western Conference Player of the Month for December, Jokic’s MVP resume will be hard to ignore.

3. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers

Previous rank: #3

2025-26 Stats: 21 games, 34.1 points, 8.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 45.8 FG%, 32.0 3P%

Luka Doncic, who has already missed six games this season and can only miss 11 more to remain eligible for season-ending honors like MVP, left Saturday’s game against the LA Clippers with a left leg injury. The Lakers star was seen at practice on Monday with his lower leg and calf wrapped, and head coach JJ Redick labeled him “day-to-day.“

While this is good news for Doncic as he has avoided a major muscle injury, it could possibly signal another game or two to miss depending on how his leg responds to treatment.

Availability becomes a concern for Doncic in these MVP rankings, which is disappointing because he still leads the league in scoring and is tied for sixth in the NBA in double-doubles. His best performance of the season came Thursday, as Doncic led the Lakers to a 143-135 victory after posting 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season.

This was it the Lakers’ first 40-point triple-double since Magic Johnson 1981, and Doncic joined James Harden, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with 10 or more triple-doubles of 40 points.

Previous rank: #5

2025-26 Stats: 25 games, 27.0 points, 9.2 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 45.3 FG%, 31.7 3P%

If the Detroit Pistons had shut out the Dallas Mavericks in overtime instead of losing by two points, Cade Cunningham likely would have been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

This past week was arguably Cade’s best of the season, as he averaged 27.7 points, 9.7 assists and 8.0 rebounds in Detroit’s three games. His 22-point triple-double against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday was Cunningham’s third triple-double of the season, tying him with Doncic for fifth in the league.

Cunningham has now recorded a double-double in four of his last five outings, and the Pistons remain atop the Eastern Conference standings at 22-6. He is currently 13th in scoring and second in assists this season.

5. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks

Previous rank: #7

Stats for the 2025/26 season: 26 games, 29.1 points, 6.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 48.2 FG%, 37.4 3P%

What more can we say about Brunson?

After winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, Brunson didn’t miss a game, and had a season-high 47 points and eight assists in Sunday’s 132-125 win over the Miami Heat. That performance pushed Brunson over 29.0 points per game this season, making him one of seven players currently averaging 29 or more points per game.

Not to mention, Brunson is now one of three players in the Eastern Conference to average at least 30 points per game in December, joining Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell. If he continues at his current pace, Brunson will be named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month when the calendar turns to 2026.

Mike Brown is right — Brunson does the things MVP does. However, he is still behind several others who continue to make historical marks with their numbers.

It’s just missing the cut

6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (4th place last week)

7. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics (No. 8 last week)

8. Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks (No. 9 last week)

9. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (10th last week)

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks (ranked #6 last week)