Anthony Edwards on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.: He’s ‘the MVP of the NBA’

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting a season ago.

This season, Anthony Edwards thinks that would be one spot too low. Here is what Edwards told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

“The MVP of the NBA,” Edwards told ESPN…

“I don’t know if they could give it to [Jokic] again,” said Edwards, who had 20 points in the loss. “Yeah, I would say Shai. Yeah, he’s looking like the MVP, man. He was incredible once again tonight.

“He’s consistent every night. His team gonna give him the ball and just let him rock out every night. It’s nothing to think about. ‘Hey, get Shai the ball and he going to get busy, and then we’re going to figure it out after that.’ I love watching that. It’s incredible, man. If he is keeping him like that, I hope they give [MVP] to him this year for sure. I feel like he should have won it last year, but he’s playing out his mind right now.”

SGA has a serious MVP case: 31.3 points, 6 assists and 5.5 rebounds a game, shooting 35% from three, plus defender, and the best player on the No. 1 team in the West.

A lot of fans — pushed by ESPN — like to track the MVP race like a horse race or a political campaign, and in the first straw poll of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander was second in the voting, trailing only three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (with Giannis Antetokounmpo close behind). It’s fair to ask if Jokic will face voter fatigue, and if the Nuggets getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs last season will impact voters at the end of the season (although that’s also when SGA and his Thunder were eliminated).

There’s still 60% of the NBA season rermaining for the MVP race to shake out, but we know who Anthony Edwards wants to see win.