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The MVP race in the NBA seems to be getting tougher with every passing year, to the point where picking a clear favorite has become increasingly difficult.
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On one hand, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning two-time MVP, is still in his prime and would be looking to make it five seasons in a row where he’s averaged over 30.0 points and shot better than 50.0 percent from the field.
Then, there is Victor Wembanyama, who actively campaigned for his own MVP candidature last season and became the youngest ever DPOY, as well as Luka Doncic, who led the league in scoring.
But according to Jamal Crawford, the ultimate dark horse for the MVP award could be Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
“Maybe another dark horse when I say MVP is Jokic,” Crawford
. “It’s gonna come down to his ways… but nobody is really talking about him, with everybody is talking about Wemby right now. But Jokic is still a bad, bad, bad man.”
Jokic will be eager to prove his value
Ever since the Nuggets won a championship in 2023, their grip on the Western Conference has gradually weakened.
Year after year, they have failed to reach the Conference Finals, and last season, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by a massively shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves team. If that wasn’t bad enough, the team failed to make any meaningful additions over the offseason and looks stagnant and predictable.
This is just the kind of scenario in which Jokic excels: added pressure and added responsibility, as there are fewer options around him.
Over the past two seasons, the Joker has finished as the runner-up for the MVP award despite averaging a triple-double across both campaigns.
However, if this season he can continue doing the same and elevate his scoring output to around 30 points per game and beyond, there is little doubt that his all-around impact would make him a certain MVP pick, and who knows, the favorite.
Jokic’s biggest challenge, however, could be the Nuggets themselves.
MVP voters place significant value on team success, and if the Nuggets fail to stand among the top 2 seeds in the West, that may hamper Jokic’s case.
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Crawford isn’t so optimistic about Cade
That being said, while discussing other dark-horse candidates, Crawford also acknowledged the growth Cade Cunningham showed last season.
He led the Detroit Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the East while averaging 23.9 points, a career-high 9.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. However, Crawford believes the increasingly competitive East landscape could make it difficult for Cade to repeat that accomplishment.
Put simply, if the Pistons fail to secure the No. 1 seed again, Cunningham’s MVP chances could take a significant hit.
“I think he’s a dark horse for sure. But the only thing is the element of surprise is gone,” Crawford added. “Last year they were able to sneak up on everybody, have a great record. I think his level of play is gonna stay the same, but he’s going to have to raise it with how the East has gotten better. Got Giannis in Miami, you got LeBron, JB in Philly. The Knicks are like, Hey, we champs!'”
The 2026-27 season is already shaping up to be one of the most intriguing MVP races in recent memory.
With established superstars, rising young phenoms and legitimate dark-horse candidates all entering the conversation, the battle for the award could come down to the final weeks of the regular season.
More importantly, will it be another international player winning the prestigious award, or will an American stud finally break the eight-year-long drought? Remains to be seen.
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This story was originally published August 18, 2026 at 3:56 AM.