The Athletic writers spoke with 158 active NBA players — roughly one third of the league — to determine the league’s best and worst organizations, the most overrated and underrated players, the impact of the league’s gambling partnerships, the 3-point controversy, and much more.
Players were interviewed from early March through mid-April, and participants were granted anonymity to give them the freedom to answer honestly, without fear of reprisals from opponents, teammates, or fans.
Who Is The MVP?
Out of 155 votes cast, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received 56.1% of the total count, topping three-time MVP and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who garnered 37.4% of the vote.
Last season, Jokic barely edged Gilgeous-Alexander in The Athletic’s poll (41.8% to 36.9%), but Joker was the runaway winner in the official MVP vote (79 first-place votes to 15).
Jokic just became the third player to average a triple-double for an entire season, while Gilgeous-Alexander helped lead the Thunder to an NBA-best 68 wins in the regular season.
NBA betting sites show Gilgeous-Alexander as the odds-on favorite to win his first MVP award. In 76 games (all starts), he averaged career highs of 32.7 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field.
“I love Jokic, but I just feel like Shai deserves it. I thought Shai deserved it last year,” said one voter. “Both of them deserve it. I think the benefit of the doubt has to go to Shai. It’s got to.”
Who Is The NBA’s Most Overrated Player?
More importantly, NBA players were asked which player they thought was the most overrated. Out of 90 votes cast, 14.4% of players named Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated. Rudy Gobert (10%) came in second, followed by Trae Young (8.9%) and Jimmy Butler (5.5%).
Thirty-three players received at least one vote, which is the same number of players who received one vote in 2024. Last year, Haliburton garnered only 3.7% of the total vote count on the same topic. That poll came before he led the Pacers last season to the Eastern Conference finals, averaging 8.2 assists per game during those playoffs.
This could mean that poll respondents believe Haliburton was not mostly responsible for that playoff run after the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana’s first-round opponent, played without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of an injury. Indiana’s second-round opponent, the New York Knicks, also dealt with several injuries.
Not to mention, it’s been a down year for Haliburton this time around. In 73 games (all starts), he averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 33.6 minutes per contest. Perhaps Haliburton raised the bar so high last season that he was unable to match his career-high statistics this campaign.
According to Basketball Reference, Haliburton led the NBA in assists (752) and assists per game (10.9) in 2023-24. This season, he finished fourth in assists (673) and third in APG (9.2). However, it’s difficult to say whether that makes a player overrated. A championship-or-bust mentality could be used toward any ringless star.
