At this point, the MVP race has reached the victory lap portion of it. For the fourth straight week, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits atop the NBA's MVP ladder for the final rankings. The 26-year-old is well on his way to bringing home the prestigious award for the third time in Oklahoma City Thunder history.
Over the last month, Gilgeous-Alexander has gained separation from Nikola Jokic. The only remaining question is how many first-place votes he'll win over the three-time MVP winner.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the best team. He's had one of the greatest scoring seasons ever. It'll be his third straight 30-plus point campaign. Pair that with the Thunder's historic regular season dominance, it's easy to see why he'll be the runaway winner.
In his last MVP ladder, NBA's Shaun Powell spent it writing a soliloquy for Gilgeous-Alexander. After jockeying for the top spot for most of the season, this last month has been drama-less with him sitting at the throne with no real competition.
"No one will begrudge Gilgeous-Alexander for winning MVP. He was a strong candidate last season and simply followed up with an even better season," Powell wrote. "His impact is evident everywhere on the floor and way up in the standings."
Gilgeous-Alexander has had an improbable rise to superstardom. When he was initially traded to the Thunder, he wasn't even the headliner of the seismic Paul George trade. It was the draft haul instead. To see him quickly rise to the rankings of the league's best players in three seasons has put OKC back in its best position to win a championship since what feels like forever ago.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander runs victory lap in NBA's final MVP ladder
