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Retaining the Most Valuable Player award is perhaps less appreciated these days. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player in NBA history to do so, but that should not diminish the accomplishment.
A flawless regular season, both for him and the Oklahoma City Thunder, coupled with a feeling of dominance night after night — that is what SGA delivered.
But then, just as the title - and a repeat - seemed destined for the Thunder, everything fell apart in the conference finals. A Game 7 defeat to the Spurs, when OKC had seemed infallible, put everything into question.
Purely from a statistical standpoint, it is difficult to pin the defeat on the MVP. But someone has to shoulder the blame for such a failure, and that is the role of a franchise player.
That does not mean that all is lost, though. The upcoming season will be approached with just as much ambition. Every year, it feels as though the overall level of the contenders rises, yet OKC always remain one of the leading candidates for the title.
Their leader, however, will once again have to prove why he now has two trophies in his cabinet and with the emergence of the Spurs and a host of contenders armed to the teeth, he will be publicly vilified if he fails.
But there is also a historic individual target. There is an exclusive MVP club: the players who have won the award three times in a row: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird. Three legends — could a fourth be on the way?
Given the Thunder's strength, having finished first in the West in each of the last three regular seasons, that scenario cannot be ruled out. More mastery will be needed to settle the debate once and for all.
2025/2026 stats: 31.1 points on 55.3% shooting, including 38.6% from three-point range, 6.6 assists (68 games).
Reasonable 2026/2027 target: 35 points, MVP contender