The Association’s specialists have a look at Kevin Durant’s profession and his probabilities of shifting to No. 5 all-time in scoring.
You can fully envision Kevin Durant strolling right into a room and questioning the place everybody went.
The “room” in query incorporates legendary gamers from a earlier period lined as much as compete yearly within the Kia Race to the MVP. One by one, nonetheless, they’ve quietly slipped out the again door: Stephen Curry and LeBron James primarily.
The room is now dominated by others, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić primarily. They’ve been fixtures close to the top of the Kia MVP Ladder for 2 years operating now. Giannis Antetokounmpo has additionally been a Ladder mainstay, however took a depart of absence this season due to a scarcity of video games performed to qualify for the award.
But, Durant? Remarkably, this deep into his profession, he’s nonetheless within the very selective and unique room. He’s the one participant from the final technology nonetheless representing with regard to the award this season. He’s occupying a rung on the ladder, at No. 9 this week.
It’s a salute to his greatness, in fact, as one of many recreation’s all-time scorers, but additionally his capacity to take care of a excessive stage of play right here at age 37. Curry and LeBron, who, not like Durant, personal a number of MVPs, are additionally having fun with productive seasons. But will both get top-10 MVP votes when the ballots are collected subsequent month? Perhaps not.
Those three can be endlessly connected, a trio of legends who carried the league for a lot of the final 15 seasons, took groups deep into the post-season, elevated their play when it counted most and collectively received 10 championships.
Durant separated himself from these two, nonetheless, at the very least for this season. The four-time scoring champ is at the moment among the top-10 scorers and capturing 51% total and 40.1% on 3-pointers. He’s nonetheless commanding double-teams. He has solely missed 4 video games, displaying the sturdiness that Curry and James lack. And he has the Houston Rockets within the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt, comfortably above the sixth-place cutoff.
At a time when most stars his age settle right into a consolation zone the place they’re secondary choices for his or her groups and solely often drop hints of a earlier life on a given evening on the schedule, Durant isn’t but able to take a victory lap. He’s nonetheless within the race — on this occasion, the race to be saluted as among the finest gamers of 2025-26.
Setting the stage this week: As Durant and the Rockets attempt to climb a pair of ladders — MVP and West standings — they’ll have to navigate some formidable roadblocks within the week forward. First up, the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on an NBC recreation Sunday evening (8 p.m. ET), then Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets subsequent Wednesday. The Spurs are comfortably forward of the Rockets, though the groups may meet within the West semifinals if the seedings maintain agency. Meanwhile, the Nuggets, although faltering, may rise and exchange Houston within the standings if and after they get wholesome.
The stat to know: Durant has averaged at the very least 26 factors a season for each franchise by which he has performed for (the Thunder, Warriors, Nets, Suns and now, Rockets) and he’s in his 18th season. The final and solely time in his profession that he did not common 25 ppg was his rookie season, spent in Seattle, which in fact moved to OKC the following season. In addition, he has additionally made at the very least half his pictures in a season for each workforce and he’s averaging 51% for the Rockets. He’s a supreme bucket-getter.
What they’re saying: “Some people are going to say that I should pass the ball. I think I have a better chance of winning if I shoot it.” — Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves, No. 7 on the ladder this week, explaining his confidence and technique in clutch conditions. He’s tied with Luka Dončić for many 40-point video games this season.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Season stats: 31.6 factors, 4.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists
His case: Since his return from an belly damage suffered earlier than the All-Star break, Gilgeous-Alexander has justified his lofty spot on the MVP Ladder. He sparkled in three video games, all wins, two in opposition to contending groups.
His 36 factors and 9 assists not solely beat the Nuggets but additionally outshone the trouble by Jokić, his direct competitor on the ladder. Then, in a Ladder level guard matchup with Jalen Brunson, Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a stable 26-point, eight-assist efficiency. Gilgeous-Alexander stays second within the league in scoring and is capturing 55% total, too.
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 28.6 factors, 12.6 rebounds, 10.4 assists
His case: Aside from his passing and scoring, rebounding is what units Jokić other than his friends. He leads the league in total rebounding common but additionally defensive rebounding common at 9.5. If you eliminated his offensive rebounds and simply went along with his defensive rebounds, he would rank tenth among the many complete rebound common of gamers this season.
The Nuggets have dropped within the standings since his return in late January from knee hyperextension, however two losses had been in extra time and three others had been by a mixed six factors. Also, he averaged 25.6 ppg, 14 rpg and 9.6 apg in February.
3. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 25.2 factors, 5.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists
His case: The freshly named Player of the Week celebrated with a pair of inefficient capturing video games, with 5 turnovers and 4 area objectives in opposition to the Cavs, after which 10-for-26 capturing in opposition to the Spurs, each losses. But in fact, his season is way more than a pair of uncharacteristic performances.
He beat the Cavs and OKC in consecutive video games final week and averaged 27.5 factors and 10 assists within the course of. Cunningham averaged 25 factors and 10 assists in February, with wins over the Knicks (twice), the Cavs and the recent Hornets, all of whom had stable level guards to problem him.
4. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 23.7 factors, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks
His case: Wembanyama is coming off his most full recreation of the season, a 38-point, 16-rebound, five-block demolition of the Pistons. From a both-ends-of-the-floor standpoint, it doesn’t get a lot better than that, and he’s positioning himself to rise on the Ladder.
Wembanyama averaged 11 rebounds and three blocks in February as the Spurs went 11-0 that month. Also think about that for a lot of February, he performed on diminished minutes to maintain him contemporary for the stretch run and was nonetheless productive.
5. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Last week’s ranking: No. 6
(*10*) 28.9 factors, 7.2 rebounds, 5 assists
His case: Jayson Tatum is likely to be on faucet to lastly return for the Celtics, and he’ll be welcomed, however Boston’s MVP candidate is Brown, whose place on the ladder is partly, if not principally, because of Tatum’s absence all season. That’s fairly the irony.
But Brown has excelled on each ends of the ground with out Tatum, improved his ball-handling and talent to attain a number of methods, and most of all has the Celtics in second place within the East. No different star has exceeded greater expectations this season.
The subsequent 5:
6. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
9. Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
10. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
And 5 extra (listed alphabetically): Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons; Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks; Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
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Shaun Powell has lined the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, discover his archive here and follow him on X.
