OKC Thunder Superstar Grades Highly in MVP Straw Poll

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making progress in the MVP race.

Dec 19, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) controls the ball against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For the third season in a row, Oklahoma City’s superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is squarely in the NBA’s MVP conversation. After back-to-back All-NBA First Team selections, he’s flirting with his best season yet.

Part of why Gilgeous-Alexander is getting more publicity this season is because the strength of Oklahoma City’s team. But make no mistake, he’s quite easily the biggest reason why this team is winning games. The talent and depth around him is absolutely necessary, but the Thunder struggles when he’s on the bench. Now that he’s leading arguably the best team in the NBA, though, his MVP campaign is taking a boost.

“As this season plays out, winning — Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are likely to do a whole lot of it between now and when the media submits award ballots in mid-April — certainly could help determine another tightly contested race for the NBA's top individual honor,” Tim Bontemps wrote.

ESPN recently published a story detailing the current MVP race outlook in a straw poll. Gilgeous-Alexander clearly has credibility around the league, as he came in second behind Nikola Jokic, and just ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“In the straw poll, Jokic took home 57 of the 100 first-place votes and 829 total points,” Bontemps wrote. “That placed him, for the third straight time in this poll, ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander, as the Thunder guard racked up 24 first-place votes and 677 total points.

“The tenor of the race, through one third of the 2024-25 season, is clear: Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the contenders, so much so that it will likely take an injury to extend the race to any player further down the list. (This was the first time in the past six seasons that the opening straw poll saw just three players receive at least one first-place vote, and the three stars accounted for 82.6% of the total vote.)”

Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best two-way superstars the league has. He's averaging 30.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game on 51.3% from the floor. He has had as big of an impact as anyone in the NBA and has stayed efficient while doing so. He certainly has a strong case for MVP, and will have more opportunities to show it coming up.

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