NBA GMs Predict MVP amid SGA, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic Debate in 2025-26 Survey
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić was the runaway MVP pick in the 2025-26 NBA general managers survey.
The three-time MVP received a whopping 67 percent of the vote. The Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Dončić was next on the list at 10 percent, and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed at eight percent.
Jokić is certainly the safe choice. He was the MVP winner in three of the last five years and runner-up in the other two seasons. The 2024-25 campaign showed why he might come up short, though.
The seven-time All-Star was as productive as ever, averaging 29.6 points on 57.6 percent shooting along with 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. Thanks to his supporting cast, though, the Nuggets finished 18 games worse than the first-place Thunder.
Between OKC's 68-14 record and finishing as the NBA's leading scorer (32.7 points), Gilgeous-Alexander had a compelling narrative for what's ultimately a narrative-based award.
The Nuggets are hoping that having a full season of David Adelman as head coach and trading Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson will put them back into the championship race. Should Denver once again be well off that pace, it could hurt Jokić's MVP case.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, could suffer from voter fatigue. Sixty-plus wins and 30-plus points per game is a very high bar to clear. Anything less than that in 2025-26 could open the door for a new MVP winner.
The stars might finally be aligning for Dončić after three top-five MVP finishes in his first seven years.
The five-time All-Star is more familiar with his surroundings ahead of his first full year in Los Angeles, and he appears to have taken the criticism about his conditioning seriously.
Assuming he stays healthy, Dončić will get a ton of credit if the Lakers close the gap on the Thunder in a meaningful way, and that could catapult him to the top of the MVP race.
