NBA Journalist Sounds Alarm on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Hopes After Nikola Jokic Admission

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards on May 17, 2026. He did it after leading Oklahoma City to the 2025 championship. That is a two-year run most superstars never get close to. Now comes the question that defines legacies: can SGA make it three straight?

“I shouldn’t say this as a voter, but there’ll probably be voter fatigue on SGA,” said Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix in a recent episode of the Open Floor podcast. “I mean, I’ve voted him now three years in a row.”

In the 2025-26 season, he won by 305 points over Nikola Jokic, who finished in second place. The year before that he won over Jokic too but only by about 126 points.

“Like, I voted him three years ago when Jokic won his last MVP, and I’ve voted him the two years he won the MVP,” Mannix continued. “But, like, I think he’s going to have to do something really special.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was perhaps the most natural pick in 2024-25. He had a historic run, ending the regular season with 32.7 PPG and a staggering 601 free throws made.

He was an absolute beast in the playoffs as well, averaging 29.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. Yet again, his free-throw rate was astronomical at 87.6%. This outstanding performance earned him his first MVP award.

When he won it a second time, OKC didn’t secure the trophy. Now, the team is set to enter the regular season with several important players coming off injuries such as Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber.

The conversation also predicted that OKC is “not going to come out right away and start the hard MVP push necessarily,” right away. One co-host had argued that perhaps Nikola Jokic not getting another MVP would be “criminal.”

The conversation also included young OKC draftee, Aday Mara. The 21-year-old center has only played two pre-season games with the team so far and his field goal rate has been perfect at 100%. He shot five for five against the Pelicans on October 6 and then went 10-for-10 against the Bucks the very next day. Mannix even called him a “mini Chet.”

With iconic players like Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama on the court, just about any team can take home the MVP award this upcoming season. However, that doesn’t mean one can count Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out.

According to Chris Mannix, the team would have to accomplish a lot in order to give SGH the push that he needs.

“They’re gonna have to run away with the Western Conference again, and he’s gonna have to average better numbers than he did last year,” Mannix said.

This means that Alexander would most likely have to go well over 30 PPG yet again this year and contribute more to assists and rebounds.

One thing, however, is sure to be a big factor, and that’s the player’s free throw rate. Called a Free Throw Merchant by critics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has never shied away from eight or even 9 free throws per game on average.

In fact, he shot 88% from the free-throw line last year. In any given season, he generally has the most free throws of any player in the NBA, averaging well over 80%-90%.

Does it bother him when he’s called a free-throw merchant? He answered the question in an interview with TIME.

“Playing this game has done amazing things for my and my family’s life,” he said. “And if a narrative on social media is the worst that comes from this game for me, well, I’d take that a million times out of a million times.”

Now, he must battle against the San Antonio Spurs in OKC’s opening match this season.

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