1. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 38.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.6 APG

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.

Last week: No. 1 ↔️

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 30.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 4.4 BPG

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.

Last week: No. 2 ↔️

1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Season stats: 26.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 7.5 APG

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.

Last week: No. 5 ⬆️

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 29.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.5 APG

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.

Last week: No. 3 ⬇️

1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 27.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG

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.

Last week: No. 7 ⬆️

1. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

Season stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.5 APG

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.

Last week: No. 4 ⬇️

1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Season stats: 23.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 9 APG

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.

Last week: No. 10 ⬆️

1. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 24.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.2 SPG

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.

Last week: No. 10 ⬆️

1. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Season stats: 21.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 7.9 APG

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.

Last week: No. 6 ⬇️

1. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.9 APG

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.

Last week: No. 13 ⬆️

Source: MVP Ladder Nov. 13, 2026 – Shaun Powell, NBA.com