Jaylen Brown, Celtics, Jaylen Brown MVP
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Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics goes to the basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at the TD Garden on January 09, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The NBA announced Friday that Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has risen to No. 3 in the latest KIA NBA MVP Ladder.
Brown now trails only Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai-Gilgeous Alexander in his quest to win the Michael Jordan Trophy.
Brown’s meteoric rise has seen him eclipse the likes of Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson in the MVP race in short order. The Celtics star was not even a part of the top 10 during the Nov. 28 edition of the KIA NBA MVP Ladder, before finally cracking the top 10 in the updated list that dropped on Dec. 1. As such, it’s rather stunning that Brown has risen to No. 3 within the span of a month.
Jaylen Brown: NBA MVP?
NBA.com’s Shaun Powell explained why Brown, averaging 30.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists since the start of December, has made rapid strides in the MVP race.
“He’s the biggest reason for the Celtics still being a contender despite the absence of [Jayson] Tatum,” wrote Powell. “Brown is among the league’s scoring leaders and his current scoring average is among the most in a season (so far) in Celtics history. Yes, that includes Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Paul Pierce and Tatum.
“What’s more, his playmaking is improved and his defense is up to his high standards. The last time he looked this dominant for a stretch was when he won the 2024 Finals MVP. Apparently, he’s still ‘That Guy.'”
Three-Horse NBA MVP Race?
With the injured Jokic set to miss the 65-game threshold for awards, the NBA MVP race could come down to a three-horse race between SGA, Brown and Cunningham.
While SGA remains the odds-on favorite, the Thunder are no longer viewed as an invincible juggernaut, which could hurt the reigning MVP’s chances to repeat. To that end, the C’s own the best record in the league (13-4) since the start of Dec. 1, while the Pistons (12-5) and Thunder (12-6) own the fourth- and fifth-best records, respectively.
If the second-seed Celtics (24-13) can unseat the Pistons (28-9) as the top seed in the East, Brown’s chances to win MVP will surely receive a huge shot in the arm. Another factor working in Brown’s favor is that injured superstar Jayson Tatum is unlikely to return anytime soon, which will allow him to sustain his career-best numbers.
“It’s a deserving rise and puts him among the game’s greats because Brown lately is doing what MVPs do — scoring in bunches, doing other things (defensively, in his case) to impact games and helping his team win,” Powell wrote of Brown.
“Brown is playing without Tatum and therefore has added responsibilities and there’s no reasonable debate why Brown shouldn’t be this high on the ladder and this deep in the discussion.”
Jalyen Brown will likely seal his place as a future Hall of Famer with an MVP award, to go with his 2024 NBA Finals MVP win and four All-Star nods.