By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague regular season is entering its decisive stretch, where every win carries extra weight and every possession can shift the balance of the standings. This is the stage when elite players must step up and deliver for their teams when it matters most.
Over the course of 30 rounds, a select group of stars has consistently stood out – making headlines, shaping results, and carrying their teams through the grind of the season. These are the players who have firmly established themselves as legitimate MVP contenders.
Now, as the race approaches its conclusion, the margin for error disappears and only the very best remain in the hunt.
Eurohoops presents Volume 4 of the MVP Ladder for the 2025-26 EuroLeague season – the final edition.
1. Sasha Vezenkov – Olympiacos Piraeus
Season stats: 19.3 points (2nd), 6.9 rebounds (2nd), 1.4 assists, PIR 23.4 (1st)
Team record: 20-10 (2nd)
Vezenkov is having a stellar season. Three MVP of the Round awards, the January MVP honor, countless buckets, and a string of outstanding performances underline his impact.
He leads the league in PIR, ranks among the competition’s top scorers and rebounders, and remains the biggest reason why Olympiacos sits second in the standings despite the many injuries that have hit the Piraeus side this season.
In 27 appearances, he has finished in single digits only once, scoring 20 or more points on 14 different occasions. Vezenkov has been a constant threat, nearly unstoppable against any opponent and particularly effective in clutch situations.
That’s why he remains the leader in the MVP race entering the final stretch of the regular season, despite missing a couple of games due to injury, and appears to be on track to repeat his 2022-23 success.
2. Sylvain Francisco – Zalgiris Kaunas
Season stats: 16.8 points (9th), 3 rebounds, 6.5 assists (3rd), PIR 19.7 (4th)
Team record: 17-13 (6th)
Zalgiris probably made its best roster decision of the offseason when it chose to keep Sylvain Francisco and extend his contract. The French guard showed flashes of his potential last year, but he has taken his game to another level in the 2025-26 campaign.
Francisco ranks among the EuroLeague’s top scorers and assist leaders, consistently giving the Kaunas side an edge in the tight race for a top-six finish. Time and again, he has taken over games single-handedly, delivering double-doubles, 30-point performances, and standout displays whenever his team needs them most.
He already earned the October MVP award and is one of only five players this season with multiple MVP of the Round honors. As always, Francisco tends to save his best for the biggest moments, delivering in the closing stages of games – which means the best could still be yet to come in the final rounds of the regular season.
So far, though, he has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers in the EuroLeague this season.
3. Elijah Bryant – Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv
Season stats: 15.5 points (13th), 6 rebounds (8th), 3.3 assists, PIR 20.9 (2nd)
Team record: 17-11 (5th)
The difference between Hapoel Tel Aviv with Elijah Bryant and without him says it all. During his injury absence, the team went through one of its roughest stretches of the season. Since his return, however, Dimitris Itoudis’s side has bounced back – including a win over Olimpia Milano in which Bryant posted a game-high PIR of 34.
Everyone already knew he was a major signing and a great player even before this season. But wearing the Hapoel jersey, Bryant has taken another step forward, emerging as one of the best players in Europe and firmly entering the MVP conversation.
He has already earned two MVP of the Round awards and recorded a double-digit PIR in every game he has played this season, peaking at 38 against Baskonia.
Bryant does a little bit of everything. He can score, rebound, and create for teammates while remaining reliable on defense – the definition of a complete, all-around player, and a coach’s dream.
All of this explains why he has steadily climbed the MVP ladder. And with 10 more regular-season games left for Hapoel, Bryant still has plenty of opportunities to strengthen his case.
4. Talen Horton-Tucker – Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Season stats: 15.7 points (11th), 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, PIR 15 (22nd)
Team record: 22-7 (1st)
A rookie in the MVP conversation? Absolutely. Talen Horton-Tucker has taken the EuroLeague by storm and is a major reason why the defending champions, despite several key offseason changes, sit atop the standings and look unstoppable with nine straight wins.
Like many players crossing the Atlantic after time in the NBA, he had his ups and downs early on. But his highs have far outweighed the lows. Horton-Tucker wasn’t included in the top five of the previous MVP ladders, mostly because we wanted to see whether he could maintain continuity and provide consistent production at the highest level – and he has done exactly that.
He hasn’t won any individual accolades so far – no MVP of the Round or Player of the Month awards – and he is not among the players with the highest PIR in the competition. However, lately he has been extremely difficult to stop on offense.
He is averaging 15.7 points per game overall, but has already recorded nine performances of 20 or more points, five of which came during Fenerbahce’s current nine-game winning streak, providing crucial impact during a key stretch of the season.
That’s why it’s fair to say he deserves a firm place in the MVP race as the season enters its final stretch.
5. Kendrick Nunn – Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
Season stats: 19.3 points (2nd), 3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, PIR 17.9 (7th)
Team record: 16-14 (10th)
The reigning MVP… All signs suggest he could be higher on the ladder at this point of the season given his capabilities, but injuries have slowed him down.
He missed a significant stretch of games during an important part of the campaign, and even after his return Panathinaikos suffered losses to Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, slipping to 10th place in the standings.
Still, despite those absences, Kendrick Nunn remains the second-leading scorer in the EuroLeague and ranks among the players with the highest average PIR in the competition – proof once again of his sheer quality and his standing among the league’s elite.
However, given the standings and the time he missed, he has lost some ground in the MVP race. There are still games left to play, though, and plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time.
So be careful in the final rounds – never underestimate a wounded champion.
Honorable mentions: Nikola Milutinov, Mike James, McKinley Wright, Tornike Shengelia, Chima Moneke, Wade Baldwin.