The race for the 2026-27 NBA MVP award begins on Tuesday, and several featured stars will be in action on Opening Night. Not only will Jayson Tatum and Cade Cunningham kick things off in the afternoon, but Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks will raise their championship banner against Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Of course, then there is the final and third game of the night that everyone has been dying to see since last season's Western Conference Finals ended: the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama against the Oklahoma City Thunder and two-time defending MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
That means six realistic MVP candidates will be playing to begin the 2026-27 season, setting the stage for what should be an incredible year-long race for the award.
Over the last few seasons, there hasn't been much change in the MVP voting.
Nikola Jokic has won the award three times since the start of the 2020-21 season, and if it wasn't for Joel Embiid in 2023, Jokic may have won the award four straight times. Many of the same names have either won the award or come close to doing so, as there have been four repeat winners over the last 12 seasons.
Gilgeous-Alexander is looking to make history, potentially joining the likes of Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell, by winning his third straight MVP award, but will voter fatigue catch up to the Thunder superstar?
Here are the top 10 of ClutchPoints' initial “MVP Mondays,” which will be updated at the start of each week to reflect which players are standing out the most in the race for the 2026-27 NBA MVP award.
1. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs
2025-26 season stats: 64 games, 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks, 1.0 steals, 51.2 FG%, 34.9 3P%
Is anyone surprised to see Victor Wembanyama leading the pack in the MVP rankings entering the 2026-27 season? At this point, we might as well say that Wemby will be within the top three of the MVP rankings pretty much all season as long as he doesn't get hurt.
This was the case last season, and Wembanyama finished third in the MVP voting. The only reason he didn't win the award, outside of greatness from Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, is the fact that he did miss games and barely qualified for end-of-season honors like MVP.
If he had played in four, maybe five more games, the Spurs may have finished with a better record than the Thunder, which would've led to Wemby likely winning MVP. That is all a hypothetical game, though, and we'll truly never know the answer to this.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Wembanyama has extra motivation after losing in the 2026 NBA Finals to the Knicks, and he's made it clear that his mission isn't to be the best in the world but to build off his success from the year prior that has made him the face of the NBA.
“I thought that's what it mean — DPOY means being the best defender on the planet. I got a lot of growth to do in that respect,” Wembanyma said after the team's recent 123-103 preseason win over the Phoenix Suns. “I'm saying this because I got coaches who hold me to a very high standard, and now the standard isn't just being the very best on the planet. It's being better than last year.”
Assuming Wembanyama takes another step forward as he did a season ago, he will be arguably the most efficient two-way player in the NBA. Media voters are always looking for the “new” name when it comes to the MVP and someone winning it back-to-back, which is why this could very well be Wemby's year.
2. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26 season stats: 64 games, 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 47.6 FG%, 36.6 3P%
The new-look Los Angeles Lakers revolve around Luka Doncic and what he will accomplish offensively alongside Austin Reaves. Honestly, the Lakers are only going to be a real title threat as long as Doncic is healthy, which puts him in prime MVP territory.
Last season, Doncic led the league in scoring for the second time in his career, and he finished fourth in the MVP voting as a result. With more scoring weapons around him this year and a key big man to run pick-and-roll sets with in Walker Kessler, Luka is gearing up to have his best season in a Lakers uniform.
Do not be shocked if Doncic leads the league in scoring yet again.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
2025-26 season stats: 68 games, 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals, 55.3 FG%, 38.6 3P%
What more can Gilgeous-Alexander possibly do? That is what all of us are asking ahead of the 2026-27 season, as SGA will need to be even better than his last two historic seasons to possibly three-peat as MVP.
At 28 years old, the Thunder star is in the prime of his career and actually enters the new season with a chip on his shoulder. It is hard to believe Gilgeous-Alexander has something to prove, but last year didn't end the way Oklahoma City had hoped.
Fresh off their 2025 title run, the Thunder dealt with injuries all year and ultimately fell in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to the Spurs, who also picked up four wins against the defending champions in the regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander will be highly motivated to beat San Antonio during the regular season, and the goal for this young Thunder core is to regain their championship status. That is why Gilgeous-Alexander could very well hit a new level of historic averages and immediately leapfrog both Wemby and Doncic for the No. 1 spot in the MVP rankings as the season progresses.
4. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
2025-26 season stats: 65 games, 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 56.9 FG%, 38.0 3P%
As long as he is healthy, Nikola Jokic will always be in the mix for the MVP award. More importantly for him, his “MVP clock” has reset in a way, since he hasn't won the award since the 2023-24 season, so he should have a better chance than the last two seasons.
The craziest thing about Jokic and the MVP award, other than the fact that he has won it three times in his career in four years, is that he has finished first or second in the voting for the award for six straight seasons. If that happens again during the 2026-27 season, Jokic will become the first player in NBA history to finish first or second in the MVP voting for seven straight years.
Jokic has also averaged a triple-double in back-to-back seasons. He could join Russell Westbrook as the only players in league history to average a triple-double in three straight years should he be able to do so again.
5. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks
2025-26 season stats: 74 games, 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 46.7 FG%, 36.9 3P%
Winning is all that matters to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. The 2026 Finals MVP is taking this mindset with him into the new season, as there is now a championship standard in Madison Square Garden.
Brunson will tell everyone he doesn't care about personal success and all of the accolades, but at the end of the day, every NBA player pays attention to what is being said about them and where they finish in certain award races.
Not only did the Knicks star fail to make the All-NBA First Team, but he didn't receive a single first-place, second-place, third-place, fourth-place, or fifth-place vote for MVP last year.
The Knicks' leader is one of the most humble leaders in the entire league who doesn't let his emotion get the best of him. But deep down inside, Brunson wants to win the MVP award really bad. He may even have all the slander and last year's MVP voting results on the wall in his room!
6. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves
2025-26 season stats: 61 games, 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 48.9 FG%, 39.9 3P%
Before he suffered his right knee injury and was forced to miss time near the end of the 2025-26 season, Anthony Edwards was constantly inside the top five of ClutchPoints' MVP rankings. Last year was Ant Man's best in the league, averaging career-highs in scoring and shooting efficiency.
Since he only played in 61 games, Edwards was ineligible for MVP and All-NBA status.
As he prepares for Year 7 with the Minnesota Timberwolves (which is hard to believe), Edwards is focused on finding ways to improve alongside All-Star guard LaMelo Ball. Now that Ball will be the primary playmaker at the point guard position, Edwards won't have all the pressure of making plays for others anymore.
This should only make Edwards a more lethal shooter and scorer since he will be fresher and ready to take advantage of mismatches late in games.
7. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons
2025-26 season stats: 64 games, 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 46.1 FG%, 34.2 3P%
What should we expect from the Detroit Pistons this upcoming year?
Fresh off their 60-22 season, the third best in franchise history, the Pistons enter the 2026-27 season with a slightly revamped roster around superstar guard Cade Cunningham. Isaiah Joe is an elite 3-point shooter with championship experience, and John Collins is a seasoned veteran who will provide extra athleticism and rebounding at the forward position.
If the Pistons can finish with the best record in what many are calling the best Eastern Conference ever, that will matter greatly in this year's MVP race. After all, the 25-year-old hasn't even hit the prime years of his career yet and just finished as an All-NBA First Team performer who also finished inside the top 5 of last year's MVP vote.
Article Continues Below8. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Miami Heat
2025-26 season stats: 36 games, 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 62.4 FG%, 33.3 3P%
When Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy, he's heavily regarded as one of the five best players in the NBA. If you need any proof of this, just look at his seven straight All-NBA First Team selections before last year.
Now that Giannis is with the Miami Heat and coming off an injury-riddled year in Milwaukee, the two-time MVP has something to prove.
Antetokounmpo will do everything he can to make sure the Heat are title contenders, and if he remains healthy, he will assume his mantle as the best two-way forward in the NBA. Getting back to his 30-10-5 averages with the Heat shouldn't be a problem for the Greek Freak.
9. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
2025-26 season stats: 16 games, 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 41.1 FG%, 32.9 3P%
This will be the first time in Jayson Tatum's career that he has not played with Jaylen Brown. Over the last nine years, Tatum and Brown have been synonymous with the Celtics' success, leading the team to a title in 2024.
The weight of the franchise now falls on Tatum's shoulders, meaning he will be the one who always has the ball in his hands late in games and will be making all the plays for others. Not to mention, the Celtics are arguably the best 3-point shooting team in the league, so Tatum will have the necessary help around him to help keep Boston near the top of the standings.
Tatum returned for 16 games last season after missing the vast majority of the year recovering from his torn Achilles. He is fully healed and ready to give it his all entering the 2026-27 season, which is why we can't write off the Celtics.
10. Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26 season stats: 70 games, 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 46.2 FG%, 36.7 3P%
LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid are the mega stars on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, but if this team is going to live up to the hype surrounding them, then it'll be Tyrese Maxey who takes the mantle as their No. 1 option and player.
Last season, Maxey led the 76ers as one of five players to average over 28 points per game, and he is turning 26 in November.
Between his dynamic ball-handling, playmaking abilities, and athleticism to change pace on offense, Maxey is the complete point guard who can tie James, Brown, and Embiid together to make this All-Star lineup work.
The 76ers have a chance to be a very special team this year, and if we know anything, it's that Maxey will not be the one sacrificing as a scorer and primary ball-handler for this team. That is what makes him a real MVP candidate.