The first week of the 2026-27 NBA season wasted no time shaking up the MVP picture.
Luka Doncic has moved to the front of the pack after a scorching opening stretch, jumping past Victor Wembanyama and taking the No. 1 spot in the latest rankings as the league heads into week two. With the MVP race already looking crowded, Doncic’s start has made a loud early statement.
The Los Angeles Lakers are 3-0 and rolling at 128.0 points per game, the best mark in the league. They also sit first in scoring and offensive rating, lead the NBA in field goal percentage, and rank second in 3-point shooting. Doncic has been right in the middle of all that production, putting up 34.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals through three games while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep.
He’s also just behind Ty Jerome for the league scoring lead at 34.7, and his 52-point game made the point even louder. Doncic’s +44 on-court rating ranks fourth among players with at least 100 minutes, behind only Austin Reaves (+53), Joel Embiid (+49) and Cam Boozer (+45).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has climbed in the rankings too, but not enough to grab the top spot. The two-time reigning MVP is still in the mix, yet the loss of Jalen Williams for an indefinite stretch, likely the rest of the year, has changed the pressure around Oklahoma City. The Thunder are 3-0, but the lower left leg injury to Williams leaves more on Gilgeous-Alexander’s plate.
Through three games, Gilgeous-Alexander has 27.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals, though his efficiency has dipped from the level he showed the last two seasons. He has already posted two 30-point games, but his 141-game streak of scoring at least 20 points ended in the second game of the season against Denver, when he had 17 points and took himself out late in the Thunder’s 96-84 win. With Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins also unavailable, the load only gets heavier from here.
Wembanyama opened the season in a rough spot, and that hurt his push for the top line of the rankings. The Spurs dropped their opener 116-104 to Oklahoma City, and Wembanyama went just 1-of-13 from the floor in that game. Even with 13 rebounds and six blocks, the offensive struggle stood out.
He has steadied things since then, though. Wembanyama followed with 25 points and 23 points in back-to-back games against Houston and Dallas, shooting 18-of-39, or 46.2 percent, combined. His current line sits at 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4.0 blocks per game, but the early stumble pushed him down two spots from the preseason ranking.
Anthony Edwards also made a strong early case for attention. Minnesota is 3-0 and has outscored opponents by 70 points, with the Timberwolves scoring at least 115 in every game. Edwards has been the driving force, posting 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range.
His Opening Night burst was the kind of performance that jumps off the page: 45 points and 10 rebounds, with 9-of-17 shooting from beyond the arc. That put him alongside Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record multiple 40-plus-point scoring nights in the first game of a new season. There are still concerns about his right knee, as he is questionable for Monday’s game against Cleveland, but Minnesota’s fast start has only helped his MVP case.
Nikola Jokic is back in familiar territory as well. He delivered his first triple-double of the season in Denver’s 141-135 overtime win over New Orleans, finishing with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists while adding three steals and two blocks.
It was his 222nd combined triple-double across the regular season and playoffs, moving him past Russell Westbrook for the all-time lead in that category. In the regular season, he now has 199 triple-doubles and is 10 away from tying Westbrook’s record.
The rest of the rankings round out with Cade Cunningham at No. 6 after sitting seventh last week, Tyrese Maxey at No. 7 after ranking 10th, Jalen Johnson at No. 8 as a new entry, Jayson Tatum at No. 9 after being ninth last week, and Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 10 after ranking eighth.
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