We’re now closing week three of the 2025-26 NBA season, and the contenders are continuing to ramp up their season, pretenders find stumbling blocks, and longshots continue to, well, make longshots. There has been a shake-up in our newest NBA Most Valuable Player power rankings.The Detroit Pistons find themselves on a seven-game win streak, led by Cade Cunningham. With a staunch defense that reminds us of the Ben Wallace era, Motor City’s gears are finally shifting well. The Philadelphia 76ers have slightly faltered; the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are rising steadily. And the Milwaukee Bucks are keeping pace thanks to Giannis scoring an eye-popping 1.04 points per minute!In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue their reign atop, with just that one unlikely defeat last week, a small blemish on an otherwise perfect start. The San Antonio Spurs have bounced back with three wins on the trot. The Denver Nuggets trail closely behind with a five-game win streak, inspired by Nikola Jokic’s effortless triple-double streak.The Los Angeles Lakers got handed an ugly loss by a clipped Atlanta Hawks, thus bringing in a sliver of doubt on their aspirations. Nonetheless, Luka Doncic continues to find the basket at an ungodly 37.1 points per game and involves his teammates. LeBron James is expected to return sometime this month, so the hopes for LA will be more than usual.This is the first time that there has been a major shuffle in our MVP power rankings. However, the player in sixth is an awful lot closer than usual.Who just missed out?6. Tyrese Maxey (Last Week’s Rank:4th) 7. Austin Reaves (Last Week’s Rank: 8th)8. Josh Giddey (Last Week’s Rank: 5th)9. Donovan Mitchell (Last Week’s Rank: NA)10. Stephen Curry (Last Week’s Rank: 7th)Sportskeeda NBA MVP Power Rankings 2025-26 Season: Latest Top 5 After Week 3T5. Cade Cunningham (Last Week’s Rank: 8th) [NEW]Previous Ranking: — 8thPER: 21.15 | 56.2 TS% | Team record: 9-2 | 25.6 PPG, 9.8 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.0 SPG, & 0.7 BPGFinally, after many years of waiting, a Detroit Pistons player is on our MVP ladder. Cade Cunningham has been sensational for Motor City. A seven-game win streak where he has been the clutch monster you expect him to be, and where, despite ugly deficits, he has somehow helped the team claw back.There is a little bit of a grey cloud here. In his last outing vs the Wizards, he missed 31 shots. Yeah, you are reading that correctly, he missed 31 shots out of 45 attempts. And despite it, he recorded a 40-point triple-double with five steals. The first since Michael Jordan to put up that stat line.Cade Cunningham was also named the Eastern Conference player of the week. Detroit looks very formidable as we head into the next leg of the NBA cup games. Can they get silverware this season and compete in the playoffs? One thing is for sure: Cunningham will be key to it. And, he is also second in fourth-quarter scoring with 11.4 points per game.One specific stat that backs his MVP caseHe is the first player since Isiah Thomas to record a 40-point triple-double in Pistons franchise history. Thomas recorded such a stat line in 1983.T5. Luka DoncicPrevious Ranking: — 5thPER: 31.87 | 62.8 TS% | Team record: 8-3 | 37.1 PPG, 9.1 APG, 9.4 RPG, 1.7 SPG, & 0.5 BPGLuka Doncic hangs on to 5th, despite two factors going against him.1. He hasn’t played a lot of games, only seven compared to the rest of the guys on the ladder with at least nine.2. He was part of a really ugly loss against the Atlanta HawksAnd yet, he continues to make offense look easy. He is leading his team in points, assists, and rebounds. He has the most 30-5-5 games by a point guard since 1965. He’s also the fastest in Lakers history to cross 1000 points. In five out of the seven games he has played, he scored 35+. The ease with which he is moving is only a sign of good things to come.He even dunked in his last game. Something his detractors had been saying he couldn’t do.One specific stat that backs his MVP caseLuka Doncic has the most 30-5-5 games by a point guard in NBA History.T3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio SpursPrevious Ranking: 3PER:-27.93 | 60.9 TS% | Team record: 8-2 | 25.7 PPG, 3.4 APG, 12.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, & 3.9 BPGVictor Wembanyama is finding his groove now. With a marked uptick in 3-point shooting in his last two games. With his handle improving and post-game flourishing, it was only a matter of time before he went back to his strength. Now, we have a dual, triple, no quadruple threat Wembanyama. Someone who opponents need to contain from half-court, while steering clear of him in the paint.He continues breaking and setting new records. Just his last game, he was the first to score 35, with 10 rebounds, five assists, five threes, and five blocks.The last part of that statement is what makes Wemby truly an alien: the fact that he can shoot 3s at a good and efficient clip while turning on the radar in the paint.One specific stat that backs his MVP caseWembanyama is scoring 78% in the restricted area. There is no stopping him in the paint. But the worrying fact is, he is also making big shots from the outside, including this clutch three.T3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee BucksPrevious Ranking: — 2PER: 38.02 | 66.1 TS% | Team record: 7-4 | 33.4 PPG, 6.2 APG, 11.9 RPG, 0.9 SPG, & 1.3 BPGGiannis Antetokounmpo was very hard to dethrone from the 2nd place. Yet, the other two on the list simply have had better seasons. So far, he is still leading the league in scoring, and he’s doing so at an unrivaled 62.9% from the field! Giannis’ play is somehow able to hide Milwaukee’s deficiencies in shot creation and gameplay.Week after week, Giannis continues to prove why he is among the best players in the world. There is very little to argue that he isn’t the best, in fact. He’s taken a step up in scoring and now has the most 30-point games in the last 11 years. There have been many great scoring seasons like those of James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic. But Giannis’ consistency has been remarkable.But it's not just scoring; he also has the second most games with 30-5-5 and in NBA history, his elite playmaking sees him vault past James Harden and Michael Jordan in recent seasons.One specific stat that backs his MVP casePerhaps the most remarkable stat line that favors Giannis Antetokounmpo is that he is averaging the most points per minute in NBA history. The same as Wilt Chamberlain, at an eye-popping 1.04 points per minute.2. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City ThunderPrevious Ranking: — 1PER: 31.38 | 64.3 TS% | Team record: 11-1 | 32.8 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG, & 1.1 BPGShai Gilegous-Alexander slips to 2nd through no fault of his own. He has sat out the fourth quarter in the last three of his games, primarily because OKC has held such a commanding lead over their rivals, they don’t feel the need to play their superstar.In those 3 quarters, however, Shai has averaged close to 31 points, four rebounds, and 7 assists. He’s having a career year in assists as Jalen Williams remains sidelined and Gilgeous-Alexander has had to operate the team’s offense on his own.Gilgeous-Alexander has the most 25-point, 10-assist games by a guard in under 30 minutes. In all of NBA history, such is the efficiency of his work. He is also on course for a 50-40-90 season, which by all accounts he should accomplish fairly easily. The biggest thing that goes against him here is that, as a superstar, he should be trying to get the most out of himself, break records, and set standards that others cannot touch. The person above him on our MVP power rankings, is doing exactly that.One specific stat that backs his MVP caseShai Gilegous-Alexander has scored 30+ points in 10 out of 11 games this season. Only Wilt Chamberlain did that 63 years ago!1. Nikola JokicPrevious Ranking: — 5thPER: 35.10 | 68.7 TS% | Team record: 4-2 | 22.7 PPG, 11.3 APG, 13.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG, & 0.3 BPGWe have our first true shuffle of the leaderboard, and on top is none other than three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic. The Joker has led the Nuggets to a five-game win streak and is averaging a triple-double in that span. And that is not all. In those five games, he is averaging 33-12-12. Yes, that is correct.To add to it, he’s shooting over 70% from the field and nearly 50% from three-point land. After the game vs the Kings, he passed Wilt Chamberlain for most games in NBA history with 35-10-5, while shooting over 80% from the field. He can’t seem to miss and the Nuggets steadily climb to 2nd in the West.Such is his impact, Jokic is leading the league in +/- figures. He was the player of the week and by the looks of it, he will end up as player of the month. Defenses cannot figure him out, and when they double him, he often makes plays that get Denver the basket. There’s not much we can say, aside from the fact that he is making a triple-double look like an everyday thing. He’s 12th in points, first in assists, and second in rebounds. This is why he takes the No. 1 spot on the 2025-26 NBA MVP power rankings after three weeks.One specific stat that backs his MVP caseIn his last eight games, Nikola Jokic is shooting 70% from the field and over 50% from 3.