NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) ladder race 2024-25 season: Top 5 candidates ft. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Week 5)

Week 5 of the NBA 2024-25 season comes to an end with the title contenders and playoff aspirants settling into their groove. Our MVP contenders list sees a bit of shift as well though the bigs continue to dominate. Nikola Jokic picks up from where he left off last season with a couple of impressive outings upon his return.

Anthony Davis holds on to a place in our weekly standings, as do Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, courtesy of their consistent performances. Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo makes the list as Week 5 ends on an eventful note.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks surge and Jokic's return highlight our weekly list. On that note, here's what our Week 5 NBA MVP rankings look like with the bigs calling the shots.

NBA MVP ladder race 2024-25 season: Top 5 candidates ft. Giannis Antetokounmpo

#5 Anthony Davis | LA Lakers: 10-6 | W-L record in Week 5: 1-2

Anthony Davis maintains a top-five spot by his staggering numbers but has slipped a couple of rungs with the LA Lakers dropping two of their three games last week. After a solid win against the Utah Jazz, the Purple and Gold were stunned by the Orlando Magic and later beaten comprehensively by familiar foes Denver Nuggets.

Player stats (Week 5)	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%
Anthony Davis	26.3	11.0	3.7	1.7	1.7	43.9	55.0

Nikola Jokic won his matchup against Davis, as he propped up 34 points and 13 rebounds compared to Davis' 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers' center has been one of the key contenders for MVP and DPOY — the stocks of both taking a hit after a forgettable Week 5. On the whole, Davis continues to be in the reckoning for his maiden NBA MVP stint averaging 30.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 15 games.

#4 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC Thunder: 12-4 | W-L record in Week 5: 1-1

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Oklahoma City Thunder

One of the more prolific scorers of Week 5, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the lone guard in our top five this week. With Luka Doncic sidelined with an injury, SGA's top shooting form keeps him in the hunt despite the Thunder going down to the San Antonio Spurs last week. They bounced back with a thumping win over the Portland Trail Blazers with their SG dropping 28 points, four rebounds, and five assists.

Player Stats (Week 5)	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%
Shai Gilgeous- Alexander	30.0	4.0	6.0	3.0	0.5	46.2	50.0

From a form perspective, SGA has looked at his 30-point metronome self with two 30+ point games in his last five appearances. The Canadian guard is in the top 10 scoring list this season averaging 28.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists.

#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks: 8-9 | W-L record in Week 5: 4-0

Such has been Giannis Antetokounmpo's production that the Milwaukee Bucks went from being outside the Top 10 to taking the sixth seed. The 'Greek Freak' powered his team to four wins on the bounce and had three triple-doubles in that stretch. The forward's scintillating run of form propels him to the third sport in our weekly NBA MVP rankings as the Bucks look to continue their surge.

Player stats (Week 5)	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%
Giannis Antetokounmpo	32.5	10.8	7.3	0.8	1.5	61.2	25.0

At the time of writing, Antetokounmpo leads the NBA in points this season (32.4) and is averaging an impressive 11.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He leads for most blocks per game (1.4) in the East and his boards are only second to the New York Knicks' big Karl-Anthony Towns (12.5) among the East teams.

#2 Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics: 14-3 | W-L record in Week 5: 3-0

Jayson Tatum's consistency has been unfathomable. NBA Revenge tour or payback season, call whatever you want it to but the forward has looked pristine since the start of the season. He leads Boston in all three categories — 29.1 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest. The results are out there to see as the Celtics went on a 3-0 run and ended their week 5 with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Player stats (Week 5)	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%
Jayson Tatum	25.0	9.7	6.3	1.0	3.0	40.3	34.4

While he had a relatively quiet night against the Washington Wizards, the highlight performance was his 33-point double-double to snap the Cleveland Cavaliers' 15-0 game-winning streak during their Emirates NBA Cup matchup.

#1 Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets: 9-6 | W-L record in Week 5: 2-1

Nikola Jokic made up for his absence against the Memphis Grizzlies with two commanding performances to help the Nuggets end their Week 5 with a flourish. The Serbian's TD3 (33 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists) went in vain during their 123-120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but he was his destructive self against the LA Lakers. Armed with a lethal downtown jumper, Jokic is second in the league in points (30.1), first in rebounds (13.9), and second in assists (11.3).

Player stats (Week 5)	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%
Nikola Jokic	33.5	15.0	9.0	1.0	0.5	59.5	55.6

It's certainly possible the 'NikoLA' moniker sticks, considering his stellar record against the Lakers, especially after it was all Jokic on Saturday when he not only outplayed Davis, a legitimate NBA MVP contender but also led Denver with a game-high 34 points studded with 13 boards to help record a blowout 127-102 win. His absence was clearly felt for the Nuggets as they lost a couple of contests, but have been on the rise since winning three of their last five games.