Predicting The Next Five NBA MVPs
The NBA’s Most Valuable Player award is one of, if not the most coveted awards in all of basketball. It is an award that leads to headlines and debates for nearly the entire NBA season.
With so many young superstars in the NBA, it seems like a perfect time to try and take a peek into the future and predict what players are going to be MVP candidates in the coming five seasons. Keep in mind that predicting MVPs many years in the future is not a simple task.
The past two MVP winners in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic were nowhere near expected to be this dominant five years ago.
On the other side of this spectrum, many young players that seem promising now could always end up falling off or not living up to their expectations such as Andrew Wiggins or Markelle Fultz. Regardless, here are the MVP predictions for the next five seasons.
2022
MVP Prediction: Stephen Curry
Other Candidates: Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic
Stephen Curry nearly won the MVP award this past season despite not even being on a playoff team. This is simply a testament to how great of a player Curry is, even when he has a subpar Warriors roster around him.
With Klay Thompson coming back, and the Warriors looking to add more significant pieces in the offseason, this team should likely be a contender again even out in an ultra competitive Western Conference.
Thompson’s return will take some of the scoring pressure off Curry and allow him to play without all of the opposing team’s defensive focus on him.
Curry’s numbers will always be astounding, the only real question is can the Warriors put the right players around him to make them a contending team again.
Winning the MVP award is about more than just putting up numbers, it is also proving that you can lead a playoff team and Curry has a great chance to do so in the upcoming season.
2023
MVP Prediction: Joel Embiid
Other Candidates: Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard
Joel Embiid was viewed as the player most likely to win the MVP award in the beginning part of the past season. However, Embiid suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for the middle part of the year.
Embiid has demonstrated time and time again why he is one of the best big men in the league. His defensive prowess, ability to stretch the floor, and pure dominance in the paint make him an ideal center in today’s NBA. Joel Embiid will likely continue to put up great scoring numbers, high rebounding numbers, and block plenty of shots for the remainder of his career.
What has been holding Embiid back from winning this award has been health. The stats are there and the 76ers will likely continue to be a top team in the East regardless of what happens to Ben Simmons, but the only issue is concerning Joel Embiid’s ability to stay healthy.
If in one of the next upcoming seasons, Embiid manages to make it to the playoffs without a major injury, then he could very likely be the player to secure the MVP trophy at the end of the season.
2024
MVP Prediction: Luka Doncic
Other Candidates: Trae Young, Joel Embiid
At some point in the future, Luka Doncic will most likely win the MVP award during his career. Doncic has simply become one of the main faces, if not the main face of the next generation of basketball. His playmaking and scoring abilities are some of the best in the game today as he averaged a remarkable 27.7 points per game to go along with 8.6 assists in this past season.
Similar to Steph, the question regarding Luka is more so about the team around him. Luka will put up great numbers and has already put up great numbers. However, this Mavericks roster is not anything special. Although, at this time in the future the Mavericks will likely have either put a much better team around Luka, or Luka will have forced his way out of Dallas to join a superior roster.
While it may not be in this exact season that Luka wins MVP, the twenty two year old has so much potential and has already solidified himself as one of the best players in the league. He is sure to be an MVP candidate for many years to come.
2025
MVP Prediction: Trae Young
Other Candidates: Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker
In this past season, Trae Young proved his ability to be a leader on a playoff team as he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. His numbers were incredible this year as he averaged 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game. His passing ability and court vision are phenomenal, along with his shooting and overall ability to score makes him an offensive juggernaut and a threat to be the scoring champ.
This Hawks roster has plenty of young talent around Trae Young, and it is no question that in four years players such as Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, and John Collins will have elevated their play to push the Hawks into a top seed in the East. Older teams like the Bucks and Nets will eventually have to fall apart, and the Hawks have shown that they could be the young team to take over the East in the future.
This team is almost perfectly built around Trae Young’s style of play with great perimeter defenders that can make him less of a liability on defense, and great shooters to space the floor out for him which allows him to be more effective as a scorer and passer. If Trae can continue to put up numbers like he has, but on a highly seeded team then there is no doubt he should be in the MVP conversation.
2026
MVP Prediction: Zion Williamson
Other Candidates: Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant
Zion Williamson exploded this past season and broke out as a young superstar. The twenty year old in only his second season became a first time all-star and put up 27.0 points per game. His strength, athleticism, and size make him an offensive force to be reckoned with in the paint along with a solid rebounder and defender.
By this season, Zion will be twenty-five years old and likely nearing the prime of his career as well. There is no denying Williamson’s potential and at his unbelievable progression rate, the sky is truly the limit for him.
The real questions are can he stay healthy and can the Pelicans properly build around him? New Orleans has young talent, but the Pelicans must really construct this roster exceptionally if they want to be competitive in the loaded Western Conference.
Just like Trae Young, if Zion can put up similar numbers to what he is putting up now and also lead New Orleans to a top seed in the West, then there is no reason Zion should not be in consideration to win the MVP award.
