The NBA MVP race isn’t locked up just yet. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has held the edge for most of the season, Victor Wembanyama has made a serious late push, forcing his way into the conversation down the stretch. Still, not everyone is buying the surge — especially Draymond Green.

Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, the Golden State Warriors veteran pushed back on the growing hype around Wembanyama and explained why he still sees SGA as the clear frontrunner. “I think over the course of the last two months, Wemby jumped Joker, but not quite SGA,” Draymond shared his thoughts on the MVP race. “I found it interesting that when Wemby spoke out the other day on NBA.com, he jumped to number one on the MVP ladder. The power of media. Fortunately, and unfortunately, SGA has still been doing what he’s doing. And like I said last episode, you have to do something to take the MVP from him. And I just don’t really think it’s been taken. Now, Wemby has put together a strong case and it’s something that he’ll be able to build on next year if the results play out like this. But I don’t think he’s done enough to take the MVP from SGA.”

Wembanyama recently helped the Spurs secure a key win over the Warriors, finishing with 14 points and 18 rebounds while anchoring the defense. While that performance added to his growing MVP buzz, Green remains unconvinced, maintaining that the award still belongs to SGA unless someone clearly takes it from him.

The gap between the two candidates becomes clearer when you look at team success. Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Oklahoma City Thunder to one of the best records in the league, a key factor in MVP voting historically. Meanwhile, Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs have struggled to stay in the playoff picture, making his case more individual than team-driven.

That contrast is exactly why players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic remain in the conversation as well, even as the race narrows toward a two-man battle.

Victor Wembanyama has a solid case to win the MVP award

With a couple of weeks of action left in the 2025-26 MVP race, Victor Wembanyama is at the top of the ladder as per several experts and also according to the NBA’s official website. Out of the top four players in the MVP race, Wemby has one of the most balanced profiles, hence strengthening his case.

In his third NBA season, Wembanyama has elevated his game across the board. He is averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks across 61 games while shooting 50% from the field, numbers that place him among the most impactful two-way players in the league.

“His case is bolstered by his ability to dominate without requiring ample minutes. Wembanyama averages just 29.2 per game yet continues to make a significant impact and piles up the stats in those minutes,” Powell wrote. “He played 60 combined minutes in his last two games, yet scored 82 points (back-to-back 41 points). He also had 18 rebounds and three blocks against the Warriors in the second of those two games.”

Wembanyama’s case stands out because of his balance. Offensively, he scores efficiently from all levels while spacing the floor. Defensively, he remains a game-changer, leading the league in blocks while anchoring the paint. Few players influence both ends of the floor at this level.

That said, MVP history doesn’t always favor players on lower-seeded teams. The last time a player broke that pattern was Russell Westbrook in 2017, when his historic triple-double season carried him to the award despite a sixth-seed finish. Wembanyama’s case follows a similar path, but whether voters are willing to repeat that exception remains the biggest question.

However, the Frenchman could still fall short. He currently trails SGA significantly in first-place votes, highlighting how much ground he still needs to make up. With only a handful of games remaining, Wemby will need a dominant finish to truly shift the race and take home the award.