When making predictions in the basketball world, just like any other sport, the results can either make you look like a complete genius or a babbling fool. Predictions are never an exact science; otherwise, sports bettors and bookies would be out of business fairly quickly. What predictions are based on are facts, statistics, and trends that point in the direction of said prediction coming true.
When predicting something like the NBA MVP, one can never get into the minds of how the voters will cast their votes at the end of the season. All we can do is make our best-educated guess based on a player’s performance that season. Take 2022-23, for example. Joel Embiid won the MVP award after two seasons of falling just shy. By the end of the playoffs, the entire NBA community was screaming for Nikola Jokic to be the winner despite the MVP never being a postseason award.
The MVP award will always be a polarizing conversation for that reason. The fans and media members will always find a way to pick apart the MVP in support of the player they feel was more deserving. When it comes to something that hasn’t happened yet or a prediction, there is simply no way that somebody can be wrong until the time comes to read the receipts. That is why today, we will take a look at who we think will be named MVP over the next five seasons.
Here are the players we predict will be the NBA MVP winners from 2024 to 2028.
2023-24 – Nikola Jokic
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It is pretty easy to point at Nikola Jokic and predict he will be the MVP next season. Coming off an incredible 2023 playoffs that saw him deliver the first championship in Denver Nuggets history as well as a Finals MVP, Jokic has to be considered the early favorite for the award.
Jokic doesn’t just dominate the game in one single way, and I feel like many didn’t fully understand that until it took center stage in the NBA Finals. Jokic can be an elite scorer when he needs to, as well as a playmaker and passer. The entire Nuggets offense runs through him and he can make opponents pay the price for even taking one play off when he has the ball in his hands.
Taking my prediction one step further, I not only believe that Jokic will win his third MVP award, but I also believe he will make history in the process. After nearly accomplishing this in 2022-23, I predict that Nikola Jokic will become just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the entire season. As a center, that will be unheard of and voters will be forced to acknowledge it with another MVP award for Jokic’s trophy case.
2024-25 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Just as it was easy to select Nikola Jokic for 2023-24, it is just as easy to tab Giannis Antetokounmpo for his third MVP award in 2024-25. At this moment, I would say that Giannis and Jokic are the top players in the world and will be competing heavily for the next few MVP awards.
Giannis had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022-23, averaging over 30.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG while leading the Bucks to the best record in the Eastern Conference. The 2023-24 season is supposed to be Giannis’ revenge tour, but if that doesn’t end in an MVP, then 2024-25 surely will. This isn’t to say that things cannot happen that will deter him from taking home his third MVP, but the way things are trending, this award looks more and more like his every day.
I also predict Giannis will insert his name back into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation as well. Where his play really makes an impact is as a versatile defender who gets the pace of play moving with the turnovers he causes. I also predict a massive increase in his playmaking which has steadily improved every season of his career. As he gets older, Giannis will take more advantage of the attention he brings to himself and make even more plays to his teammates than he already does while also being an elite scorer.
2025-26 – Luka Doncic
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As Luka Doncic approaches his mid-20s in 2025-26, he will only continue to grow and get even better as a basketball player. If the Dallas Mavericks would have even sniffed a top-five seed in the playoffs in 2022-23, Doncic would have at the very least been a finalist for the MVP award after putting up a career-high 32.4 PPG on a career-high 49.6% shooting.
Doncic has been trending toward an MVP award since he broke into the NBA in 2018-19 and has only improved across the board ever since. By this time, Kyrie Irving will have had his contract with Dallas expire and likely move on to his next destination. With the offense back in his complete control, the sky’s the limit as far as his MVP chances go.
I also have some serious predictions for Doncic by the 2025-26 season. I think Luka will also challenge for a triple-double season average, considering he has been around 8.0 RPG and 8.0 APG for most of his career already. Doncic has a ton of work to do to be named MVP, as do the Mavericks, in order to get him into the conversation. Team success matters in MVP conversations, and I am guaranteeing by 2025-26, they will get it figured out, led by future MVP Luka Doncic.
2026-27 – Jayson Tatum
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After all the heavy hitters and likely candidates have had their turn, it will be time for another young superstar to take the MVP leap. It can be argued that Jayson Tatum has already taken that leap in 2022-23. He became the first Celtics player to average over 30.0 PPG in a season ever and led the team to yet another Eastern Conference Finals.
What hurt Tatum in the MVP conversation is the fact that he had another teammate, Jaylen Brown, averaging over 27.0 PPG share the floor with him on most nights. By 2026-27, I could see Brown being long gone and Tatum in full control of Boston on the court. This could work against him as well if Boston doesn’t finish with a strong enough season record to warrant an MVP for Tatum, but I prefer to look on the bright side of things.
As for predictions in this season for Tatum, I can see a few things happening individually. I believe that a scoring title could be in his future, which isn’t too far-fetched considering his 2022-23 numbers and that he will only be 29 years old at this time. With three more seasons under his belt and already seen as a top-tier talent in the NBA right now, things can only get better for the constantly improving Tatum in all facets of the game.
2027-28 – Zion Williamson
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When it comes to predictions, you just knew there had to be some sort of outlandish wild card sitting somewhere, right? Well, if you didn’t, then here it is with the selection of Zion Williamson as the 2027-28 MVP.
I refuse to believe, whether it’s warranted or not, that Zion will be a bust in the NBA. I understand the injury history and apparent lack of discipline, but a young man with so much money is a life that warrants a grace period in getting used to. When healthy, Williamson has been one of the best players in the NBA who we have seen average over 27.0 PPG on over 60.0% shooting. He will be just 27-28 years old in 2027-28, so who’s to say he can’t turn everything around and shut the haters up?
The one major prediction aside from him actually winning the award itself in 2027-28 is where he will be doing it from. With a relocation out of New Orleans more than likely coming sooner rather than later, the only question that remains is who will be trading for him. I will go on record right now to say that the New York Knicks will be the spot where he lands and takes home the MVP award. It would be a beautiful sight to see Williamson reach his full potential as a player and leave the reputation as injury-prone behind him. It will be even more beautiful to see him get the job done in New York, with its rich history and fans seething for an NBA championship.
