Kia MVP Ladder: Luka Dončić, Victor Wembanyama lead the way in latest Top 10

The best way to judge the top of this week’s MVP Ladder is to look at the Western Conference.

The Lakers and Spurs are this close for a reason, and the same goes for Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama.

Yes, No. 1 and No. 2 in the West reflect who is No. 1 and No. 2 on the Ladder, and for good reason — those players are obviously the primary reason for the early success of their teams.

And that carries much weight when it comes to the MVP discussion, because what separates those players from the general population is their ability to elevate their teams.

Obviously it goes a bit further — Dončić and Wembanyama are also at or near the

top in multiple statistical categories

. That’s especially true in scoring, where both are averaging at least 30.3 points per game, while Dončić (38.6 ppg) is closing in on 40 ppg.

If the end of this MVP chase is anything like the start, it should make for a compelling race.

That’s not to suggest a two-man race, either, especially if Jayson Tatum continues to uplift the East-leading Celtics and reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keeps injured OKC in the playoff mix.

On to the Ladder:

1.

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats:

38.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.6 APG

Game of the week

: 53 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in win vs. Portland.

The biggest moment of the last few days came when Dončić survived an injury scare in the Lakers’ win over the Bucks. Last spring, during an epic run by Dončić — he dropped 60 points on Miami, 51 on the Bulls, and had three straight 40-point games in the span of a month — a hamstring injury

sidelined him

for the final five games and the playoffs.

This time, though, his ankle was only tweaked against Milwaukee, and much like last spring, Luka is beastly — a 40.7 ppg

scoring average this month

, including a pair of 50-point games so far this season. Therefore, no defender or injury can stop him.

LUKA JUST DROPPED 53 POINTS 🚨

🪄 53 PTS

🪄 5 REB

🪄 5 AST

🪄 5 3PM

🪄

@emirates

NBA Cup Group Play W

FIRST LAKER SINCE KOBE BRYANT (JAN 10-14, 2012) TO SCORE 40+ PTS IN 4 STRAIGHT GAMES 🤯

pic.twitter.com/auJqrGlwrk

— NBA (@NBA)

November 7, 2026

Last week:

No. 1 ↔️

2.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

30.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 4.4 BPG

: 40 points (15-19 FG), 11 rebounds and 8 blocks in win at Phoenix.

It feels like years ago when Wemby shot 1-13 and looked helpless, when it was actually three weeks ago, in the season opener against Oklahoma City. That’s because, since then, he has mostly rambled through defenses, leaving debris on the court.

That performance is a distant memory. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 2 and has been dominant at both ends. He tallied his second 40-and-10 game of the season, and the Spurs are riding a 10-game win streak into Friday’s matchup against Golden State.

Games with 40+ points and 10+ rebounds this season:

Victor Wembanyama – 2

Rest of the NBA – 2

pic.twitter.com/WrjVrWVZ80

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs)

November 10, 2026

No. 2 ↔️

3.

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

26.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 7.5 APG

: 34 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in win at Charlotte.

It was a satisfying week for Tatum, made possible by beating the Sixers and ex-teammate Jaylen Brown to assume a top spot in the East. Tatum went for 34-9-8 three games prior against the Hornets. And that’s just a snippet of his season, his first full tour of duty after recovering from Achilles surgery. Tatum is once again the star the Celtics need, this time going solo. And as for his injury, he’s erasing most of those concerns, as evidenced by his soaring dunk over LeBron James in the Sixers’ game.

STILL THINKING ABOUT…

This

@jaytatum0

dunk vs. the 76ers 😳

Boston is now #1 in the East!

pic.twitter.com/lP9JgffpEh

November 11, 2026

No. 5 ⬆️

4.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

29.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.5 APG

: 30 points, 9 assists and 2 rebounds in win vs. Washington.

Gilgeous-Alexander is delivering as expected during this tenuous time for the Thunder as they deal with an abundance of key injuries, but also as expected, the club has hit a rough patch while trying to keep up with the conference leaders.

Gilgeous-Alexander is still a fixture among the league scoring leaders, although his trademark efficiency is starting to weaken; he’s shooting just 45% as defenses concentrate solely on him.

SGA (30p, 9a) and OKC won their FOURTH IN A ROW last night ⚡️

Thunder improved to 8-2 on the season!

pic.twitter.com/8LHnxDq4Tz

November 8, 2026

No. 3 ⬇️

5.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

27.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG

: 41 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in win vs. Orlando.

He was tremendous in a Nov. 7 overtime win against Orlando with 41 points and he finds himself a top-five scorer with a 45% efficiency from deep. Thus, it appears Curry is successfully fighting off the advancement of age and keeping up with his lofty standards.

However,

an abdominal tear

will keep him out at least two weeks. Will the Warriors survive without him? Their eight-game winning streak was stopped when Curry suffered the injury six minutes into the loss to Houston.

“It’s never just been a game… It’s always felt more like an art.”

Go inside Steph’s approach to basketball in Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry, streaming now on the ESPN App & Disney+ 🎥

pic.twitter.com/qE3axDlZoo

No. 7 ⬆️

6.

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

26.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.5 APG

: 27 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in win vs. Toronto.

Despite two games in which he failed to score at least 20 points, along with the loss to the Celtics, which caused the Sixers to topple from the top of the East, Maxey’s season still checks out. He remains among the leaders in scoring and isn’t prone to turnovers while keeping his defense at a high level.

THIS TYRESE MAXEY SEQUENCE 😳

Maintains possession near mid-court before converting the tough finish!

pic.twitter.com/x8WrB2l72s

November 13, 2026

No. 4 ⬇️

7.

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Season stats

:

23.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 9 APG

: 27 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in win at Memphis.

He’s leading the Nuggets in rebounds, assists and blocks. His main issue, and the reason he isn’t higher on the Ladder, is his efficiency, especially from deep (23.3%). Also, the Nuggets find themselves looking up at other West contenders, a strange position for them during the dominant “Joker” years when the three-time MVP was almost a lock to flirt with triple-doubles nightly.

A near triple-double for Joker in Mexico City!

🃏 19 PTS

🃏 13 REB

🃏 8 AST

The

@nuggets

secure the victory in the NBA Mexico City Game 2026!

pic.twitter.com/Ek5JKCKS0W

No. 10 ⬆️

8.

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

24.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.2 SPG

: 43 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in win vs. Indiana.

It was just a thorough performance by Flagg when he scored 43 points with 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals

against the Pacers

. He has grabbed at least 10 rebounds three times this season and logged double figures in assists twice. Not bad for a 19-year-old who’s knocking on the door of the top-10 scorers.

Sit back and enjoy all 4️⃣3️⃣‼️

#MFFL

pic.twitter.com/vFrcKQTCb4

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs)

9.

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

21.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 7.9 APG

: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in win vs. Denver.

He flirts with a triple-double almost nightly and is nearly averaging one this season. In Houston’s biggest game to date, a

win over the Warriors

, he came an assist shy. He’s efficient and consistent in the low and mid post, making the Rockets tempted to just pencil him in for solid numbers almost across the board.

Alpi was on triple-double watch tonight 🎥

@FrostBank

|

#AllFire

pic.twitter.com/bbmcdbKy8e

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets)

November 12, 2026

No. 6 ⬇️

10.

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.9 APG

: 52 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 0 turnovers in win at Washington.

Cunningham powered his way into the Top 10 based on his most recent game, one of the best performances of the NBA season. As if scoring 52 points in double overtime wasn’t enough, he managed zero turnovers in 48 minutes, becoming the first player in NBA history to get 50 points and at least 10 assists (he had 11) without a mistake. The Pistons are third in the East standings at 8-3.

CADE CUNNINGHAM: FIRST PLAYER TO RECORD 50+ POINTS, 10+ ASSISTS WITH ZERO TURNOVERS SINCE 1977-78!

🔥 52 POINTS (30 IN 4Q/OT/2OT)

🔥 11 ASSISTS

🔥 16-25 FGM

DETROIT WINS A THRILLER IN 2OT.

pic.twitter.com/0iX0hF8kFj

No. 13 ⬆️

The next 5:

11.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat

12.

Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers

13.

Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

14.

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

15.

Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies

Rankings are updated weekly, based on season production, the past week’s games and availability. Rankings are the writer’s decision and do not reflect the opinion of the NBA or its teams.

* * *

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find

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