7. Tyrese Haliburton

Last week’s rank: 7

Haliburton continues to have himself a season as he and the Pacers have had an amazing season. Haliburton has the skills to rise on this list, but with a congested top five, it will be really hard.

6. Jayson Tatum

Last week’s rank: 6

Nothing changes for Tatum in this week’s ranking, but after leading the Celtics to multiple wins in a row, it won’t go unnoticed. Tatum is sniffing the top five, but it may take a little more to see his name in legit MVP conversations.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Last week’s rank: 5

Nothing changes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this week’s MVP Power Rankings. He continues to dominate night in and out and has averaged over 30 points for his last ten played.

Shai has been on a tear all season long, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 19-9 record. While leading his team to one of the best records in the NBA, Shai has earned the respect of many fans and players.

In last week’s slate of games, the Thunder went 3-1, beating the LA Clippers and the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.

Shai has probably been the most consistent player inside the top five. He has only recorded seven games where he has scored less than 30 points. Joel Embiid might be the only player that can compete with that stat.

Offensively, Shai has been the main facilitator for the Thunder and has looked amazing doing it. He’s currently averaging a career-high six assists in the process.

Shai has also scored the ball at an extreme rate. Using his speed and athleticism, he can easily split defenders and control his body to get easy buckets at the rim. Shai can also shoot the ball well. He’s currently shooting 54 percent from the field on the season.

Shai has demonstrated his ability to win an MVP award. However, he will need to do a lot more to be in contention this season. The Thunder will face a difficult schedule in the coming weeks. Fans will be watching to see if Shai can shine once more and climb the MVP Power Rankings.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Last week’s rank: 4

Giannis once again has an amazing week and makes a legitimate argument to be placed higher on this list.

Despite the loss on Christmas Day to the New York Knicks, the Bucks have been dominating everyone they play. This includes Giannis, who put up 32 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to the Knicks.

Things haven’t changed one bit for Giannis after his historic 64 points. He and the Bucks have won four out of their last five and have dominated every opponent they have played. Earlier this week, Milwaukee played the Orlando Magic and won 118-114. Giannis once again dominated with a 37-point double-double.

This past week, the Bucks reached a 3-1 record and made it look easy against the teams they played. If the Bucks can continue to dominate the way they have over the last month, they could be competing with the Celtics for the top record in the Eastern Conference.

However, the former MVP could be higher on this list, but with a strong top three, he will need to continue to dominate if he wants to win the MVP award again.

The Buck’s next four games are against formidable opponents, including two against the Indiana Pacers. If Giannis dominates like he did against the Pacers last time, he will surely rise the rankings next week. Giannis is currently a game-time decision with an injury, but if he plays, his next game will be against the Brooklyn Nets.

3. Nikola Jokic

Last week’s rank: 1

Chaos has struck for the Denver superstar as he falls two spots in this week’s list.

“This week’s biggest fall in the rankings belongs to Nikola Jokic.”

A sentence that NBA fans never thought they would see. However, after a few disappointing weeks in a row, Jokic will fall two spots after being ranked No. 1.

Despite the Nuggets catching heat and winning eight of their last ten games, Jokic has been disappointing in this stretch. Team success has been huge when voting for the league MVP, but after a strong performance out of the two names ahead of him, it’s hard not to see his name drop.

This could just be a slump for the former two-time MVP winner, but after failing to have a marquee performance over the last few weeks, his name will drop.

Despite the drop in ranking, Jokic has continued to look like Jokic over his last three games. He has scored over 25 points in two of the last three games and even dropped 26 points in the Christmas Day win over the Warriors.

Jokic’s name could rise once again if he continues to play the way he did on Christmas. In the win over the Brooklyn Nets, Jokic dropped an astounding 31 points and 11 rebounds. These are the stats fans have fallen in love with when it comes to Jokic.

The Nuggets’ next game is against the revamped Memphis Grizzles. This will be an important game for Jokic if he is to have a career game.

2. Luka Doncic

Last week’s rank: 3

Doncic finally rises in the NBA MVP Power Rankings, and it’s hard to see him letting off the gas for the remainder of the season.

Luka Doncic once again puts up an amazing week of performances. However, he finally gets the recognition he deserves and jumps up one spot in this week’s rankings after being ranked No. 3 last week.

After Christmas, it was clear Doncic should be in legit MVP talks for the remainder of the season. After a 50-point, 15 assists, four steals, and a three-block performance against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas, Doncic’s name instantly jumped in MVP conversations.

NBA fans were finally aware of what Doncic has been doing all season long for Dallas. In his last five games, Doncic has scored over 38 points in four out of the five. The one game he didn’t was a 28-point performance and a near triple-double.

The one thing holding Doncic back from winning the MVP award would be his team’s record. The Mavericks are currently 18-12 but have recently been dropping games with the absence of Lively II and Kyrie Irving.

Despite the under-par record for an MVP, Doncic’s performances could carry him to winning the award at the end of the season.

This week, the Mavericks’ schedule will only get harder as they are playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Doncic will once again need to put the Mavericks on his back if they expect to win and if he wants to rise in the MVP rankings.

1. Joel Embiid

Last week’s rank: 2

It’s time fans take notice of what Joel Embiid has been doing to the league this season.

Despite missing the Sixers’ Christmas Day game against the Miami Heat, Joel Embiid has been on a tear all season long. In the games Embiid has played in, he has dominated everyone, including a 51-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Last week’s performance against the T-Wolves was just the tip of the iceberg for what Embiid has been doing. He’s currently averaging 35 points per game and has shot one of the best percentages from the field in the league. Embiid is undoubtedly having a historic season.

Embiid’s only concern is health. He has failed to stay healthy through lengthy stretches of this year and has missed some of the Sixers’ most important games to start the season. If this trend continues to occur, he could fail to meet the 65-game threshold to win the MVP award.

Despite his absences, Embiid has led Philadelphia to a 20-9 record and third in the Eastern Conference. Fans will want to see Embiid play in bigger games, but it’s clear to see the effect he has on the Sixers.

The 76ers next week of games will compile two games against the Chicago Bulls and one against the Orlando Magic. Embiid will be expected to play if he wants to remain at the top of the MVP rankings.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks won’t get a chance to play each other until February. Until then, both teams will need to continue winning. For more updates on Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.