Luka Doncic is already heading into ninth season in the NBA, and somehow, some way, the MVP award has eluded him throughout all these years. 2026-27 is as good of an opportunity as he will have to change that.
The field around him is still stacked with strong candidates. However, Doncic is near the top of his powers, and has yet to be crowned in the regular season with an NBA MVP. Among the early frontrunners for the award, Luka should have one of the best cases to win it.
5 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
There are a handful of players who could have claim to the fifth spot.
Cade Cunningham will need to do some serious heavy lifting for the Detroit Pistons to keep up in a revamped Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum has similar reasoning to be considered a good candidate, too. Even Kawhi Leonard could sneak into discussions if his deal to the Toronto Raptors gets finalized.
How about Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The Greek Freak has already proven capable of playing at an MVP level, twice. In a strong East, that is exactly what the Miami Heat will need from their new superstar to secure a playoff spot in 2026-27.
The argument against having Giannis higher on this list comes down to team success. Antetokounmpo could put up big counting stats to help the Heat clinch a playoff spot. Will their seed be high enough amid ongoing efforts to fill out the roster around him? Probably not, and that will hurt.
4 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The back-to-back NBA MVP ranked all the way at four? Yes. That is also precisely why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should also be deemed a touch more unlikely to secure those honors for the third consecutive season.
Everyone saw it with Nikola Jokic just a few years ago. The Denver Nuggets superstar was on pace to win his third-straight MVP in 2022-23. The ballot shifted and gave Joel Embiid the award for reasons that had very little to do with Jokic's fantastic individual season.
Gilgeous-Alexander is not only competing against the field. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is competing against his own previous MVP seasons, the short history of players who have won three MVPs in a row, and general voter fatigue. That will likely prove too much to overcome in the end.
3 — Nikola Jokic
Speaking of Jokic, the all-time great has now gone two years in a row as the MVP runner-up. That could help reinsert him at the top for the fourth time in his career during the 2026-27 season.
Fun fact: Jokic has finished in the top two of MVP voting for the last six years.
That makes him as scary of a threat as anyone. A solid but not elite Nuggets team would require him to deliver serious MVP-level play, too. The main question to ask here is just how much the voter fatigue has faded for Jokic.
The former Finals MVP is always going to be an advanced stats darling. That will garner plenty of votes. However, there are two fresh faces above him who have yet to win the trophy at all. The voters often love seeing someone new at the top.
2 — Luka Doncic
Doncic should come in at number two among this crowd heading into the season. There is sound reasoning behind why it is easy to like his case.
Expectations of the Lakers are mixed after this offseason. There are many who have not been shy about setting a low bar for what this upcoming campaign in Los Angeles looks like after their retool.
Doncic, in the prime years of his career, has every opportunity to blow those out of the water. That should create a strong perception of overachieving. At that point, those interested in seeing Luka win MVP would hope the gentle reminder of him still being without one at 27 years old holds significant weight.
1 — Victor Wembanyama
Most view Victor Wembanyama as the next face of the NBA. Some may even believe that is a title that has already been passed down from LeBron James to him. Firmly securing that mantle needs to come with some form of coronation.
It could have happened in the 2026 NBA Finals, but the San Antonio Spurs lost to the New York Knicks in five games. Wembanyama still needs that definitive moment that stands out as when he became the face and best player in the league for the lore. It could be an MVP ceremony.
The Spurs being as good as they are will help him land a top seed, too. The stats, the winning, and the narrative will all be in his favor. That should make Wembanyama the favorite, and leave Doncic as the primary player who is looking to play spoiler.
Add us as a preferred source on Google