With the 2026-27 NBA campaign less than a week away, here's a look at the top 10 candidates for MVP.
Statistics listed are from the 2025-26 season.
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 27.9 | 6.4 | 3.6 | 50.5 | 38.7 | 89.2 |
Leonard is doing his version of the classic action-film star who calmly walks away as the scene explodes in the background. The Raptors won't mind, though, especially since he recorded a career high in points last season on 50.5/38.7/89.2 splits and ranked fifth in box plus-minus and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).
The seven-time All-Star instantly becomes the Raptors' No. 1 option and should form an elite two-way duo with Scottie Barnes, giving Leonard more isolation opportunities and favorable matchups. Notably, Leonard appeared in 65 games last season, narrowly making the cutoff for individual awards, something he's managed just twice since 2017-18.
MVP odds: +7500
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 26 | 3.3 | 6.8 | 46.7 | 36.9 | 84.1 |
The reigning Finals MVP enters the campaign following a stellar postseason run in which he led all players in scoring with 28.4 points per game and dispelled any doubts regarding an undersized guard putting a team on their back. Brunson has grown from an underrated talent into a bona fide star, further strengthening his MVP candidacy in voters' eyes.
The Knicks are again expected to finish near the top of the standings, which will also help Brunson's case. His 6.5 offensive win shares were the seventh-best in the league in 2025-26, and as the popular proverb suggests, availability is the best ability: he's averaging 70.1 games played per season across his eight-year NBA career.
MVP odds: +3300
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 23.9 | 5.5 | 9.9 | 46.1 | 34.2 | 81.2 |
The Pistons will view their conference semifinal ousting as a disappointment after finishing the regular season with the East's best record, though Cunningham is hardly to blame. In 14 playoff contests, the 24-year-old averaged 28.1 points on an impressive 57.2% true shooting percentage.
Last season, Cunningham also earned his first All-NBA first-team selection and finished fifth in MVP voting. Now entering his sixth NBA campaign, Cunningham may have to carry even more of the load following Jalen Duren's postseason no-show and the Pistons' failure to recruit another facilitator to ease his playmaking burden.
MVP odds: +2500
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 28.8 | 5 | 3.7 | 48.9 | 39.9 | 79.6 |
Even with all the offseason changes to the T-Wolves' roster, one constant remains: Edwards is the team's offensive focal point. He recorded career highs in scoring and effective field-goal percentage (57.2) last season and almost certainly would've nabbed a third All-NBA nod had he not missed 21 games due to injury.
With Minnesota acquiring LaMelo Ball, Edwards could flirt with a 30-point average. Ball will assume primary playmaking duties, relieving Edwards of the point guard responsibilities he handled for chunks of last campaign. The shift should reduce Edwards' fatigue and limit the double teams he faces, while Ball's top-tier court vision will create more opportunities for easy buckets.
MVP odds: +1800
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 21.8 | 10 | 5.3 | 41.1 | 32.9 | 82.3 |
Although 16 regular-season contests are a small sample, Tatum showed a more versatile skill set in his return from a ruptured Achilles, posting career highs in rebounds and steals (1.4). His scoring may have been down from his career mark (23.5), but he still wasn't at his best and ceded the No. 1 option to Jaylen Brown.
Now that Brown is in Philly, Tatum reclaims talisman duties and, when fit, is arguably a top-five player in the league. He averaged 26.3 points in 102 games without Brown on 31.2% usage, compared to 23 points on 28.2% usage in 499 contests alongside his former running mate. Like ball, numbers don't lie.
MVP odds: +1500
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 27.6 | 9.8 | 5.4 | 62.4 | 33.3 | 65 |
Averaging at least 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in seven straight campaigns, Antetokounmpo is poised to bring the same consistency to the Heat that he showed in the latter part of his Bucks tenure. Last season, the two-time MVP produced the best efficiency of his celebrated 13-year career, posting a tidy 65.8% true shooting percentage.
Antetokounmpo could thrive at both ends alongside Bam Adebayo, and his savvy transition skills should mesh well with Erik Spoelstra's breakneck pace. If he can stay healthy and the new-look Heat surge toward the top of the East, Antetokounmpo's MVP chances will only improve.
MVP odds: +1000
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 27.7 | 12.9 | 10.7 | 56.9 | 38 | 83.1 |
Doncic is arguably coming off the best season of his eight-year career. He led the league in scoring, finished third in VORP, and ranked fourth in PER (Player Efficiency Rating), earning an All-NBA first-team nod. The 27-year-old also topped all players in usage with a ridiculous 38.1%, nearly 2% more than the next-closest player.
With LeBron James leaving and the Lakers making a series of offseason moves to amplify Doncic's expertise, the Slovenian's usage could increase this season. However, the biggest knock to Doncic's MVP candidacy might be Los Angeles' record. The award has historically gone to players whose teams finish near the top of the standings, and the Lakers are expected to take a step back.
MVP odds: +600
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 27.7 | 12.9 | 10.7 | 56.9 | 38 | 83.1 |
Jokic is one of only nine players ever to win the MVP award at least three times, and he finished second in voting in each of the last two years behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Last season, he became the first player in history to lead the NBA in rebounds and assists while logging a historic triple-double for the second year in a row.
Somewhat lost in all of this is that Jokic also averaged 27.7 points on 56.9/38/83.1 splits, leading a Nuggets team marred by injuries and poor roster construction. Those factors, combined with a first-round playoff exit, undermined Jokic's 2025-26 claim to be the "best player on the planet." Further regression by Denver will only hurt his case for a fourth MVP.
MVP odds: +600
| GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | 31.1 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 55.3 | 38.6 | 87.9 |
Gligeous-Alexander finished second to Doncic in scoring in 2025-26, averaging 31.1 points in 31.1 minutes per game. He also led all players in points per 36 minutes (33.7). In a way, Mark Daigneault and the Thunder's impressive margin of victory may have spared the rest of the NBA from even higher totals. Gligeous-Alexander has now averaged at least 30 points and topped the league in free throws in each of the last four seasons.
And the 28-year-old Canadian might be getting even better, putting up a career-best 59.7% effective field-goal percentage last season, along with career highs in both field-goal and 3-point shooting. Oklahoma City is also projected to win 60-plus games, meaning Gilgeous-Alexander has a real chance of becoming the first player since Larry Bird (1984-86) to claim MVP three years in a row.
MVP odds: +375
| GP | PTS | REB | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 25 | 11.5 | 3.1 | 51.2 | 34.9 | 82.7 |
The stars are aligning for Wembanyama this year. Fresh off being named the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in league history and piloting the 62-win Spurs to the Finals, the 22-year-old is looking to improve on last season's third-place finish in MVP voting with another transformative campaign.
The numbers are also lining up for Wembanyama. No player in NBA history has ever averaged 25 points per game in fewer than 30 minutes per night - until he did it last year. That rare efficiency hints that a scoring breakout could be in the tea leaves for him this season. Wembanyama will touch 30 points a night with a marginal increase in minutes, perimeter shooting, and trips to the line.
MVP odds: +200
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