Wembanyama Tops MVP Forecast with 102 Points; Doncic Favored for Scoring Title

Victor Wembanyama leads the 2026-27 NBA Summer Forecast with 102 MVP points after a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year win.

Victor Wembanyama leads the 2026-27 NBA Summer Forecast for Most Valuable Player with 102 points, following a season where he finished third behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. The San Antonio Spurs phenom, aged 22, earned the top spot after leading his team to the NBA Finals and recording 40 points and 15 rebounds in his previous season opener against Dallas. In the panel's voting, Jokic follows with 31 points, while Luka Doncic, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, sits third with 28 points. Gilgeous-Alexander, who recently became the fifth active player to win consecutive MVPs, ranks fourth with 26 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat rounds out the top five with eight points.

Luka Doncic is the front-runner for the scoring title, receiving 11 panel votes after averaging 33.48 points per game last season. His career highlights include three seasons averaging over 32 points, and he recently posted 37.5 points on 49/39/79 shooting splits over 16 games in March. Gilgeous-Alexander, who has averaged at least 30 points for four straight seasons, received five votes for the scoring crown. Anthony Edwards, who set a personal best of 28.8 points last year, earned three votes, while Wembanyama received one vote after shooting a career-high 51.2% in the regular season.

Rookie of the Year and Defensive Honors

Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies, the No. 3 overall pick, leads the Rookie of the Year race with 61 points. He narrowly edges out Utah Jazz No. 2 selection Darryn Peterson, who received 56 points, and Washington Wizards No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, who earned 54 points. Caleb Wilson of the Chicago Bulls sits fourth with 32 points, followed by Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. with three points. Peterson joins a Jazz roster featuring Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ace Bailey, while Dybantsa will play alongside Trae Young and Anthony Davis.

In the Defensive Player of the Year category, Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite with 108 points. He was the first unanimous winner in the award's history last season, despite barely meeting the 65-game minimum by including an NBA Cup final appearance. Antetokounmpo ranks second with 20 points, despite averaging a career-low 0.7 blocks last season. Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder holds third place with 13 points, while Amen Thompson and Bam Adebayo tied for fourth with 12 points each. Rudy Gobert, a four-time winner, received 10 points.

Sixth Man and Most Improved Candidates

Alex Caruso leads the Sixth Man of the Year forecast with 34 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite shooting 29% from three-point range last season. San Antonio’s Dylan Harper follows with 23 points after a rookie campaign where he averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 assists. Ajay Mitchell ranks third with 22 points, having increased his scoring from 6.5 to 13.6 points per game before a right calf strain sidelined him in the conference finals. Houston’s Reed Sheppard, who shot nearly 40% from deep on seven attempts per game, earned 20 points.

Stephon Castle of the Spurs is the top choice for Most Improved Player with 34 points. The 21-year-old ranked ninth in the NBA in turnovers last season with 3.2 per game but showed growth in scoring and rebounding. Cason Wallace of the Thunder is second with 32 points; Oklahoma City went 49-9 with a plus-11.9 point differential when he started. Harper (21 points), Amen Thompson (20 points), and Kel’el Ware (17 points) complete the top five.

Coaching and Team Dynamics

Rick Carlisle of the Indiana Pacers leads the Coach of the Year predictions with 33 points after managing a roster hit by injuries to Tyrese Haliburton. Mitch Johnson of the Spurs trails by a single point with 32, while Will Hardy of the Jazz earned 28 points. Chris Finch and Nick Nurse received 20 and 19 points, respectively. The Lakers' outlook for Doncic depends on a roster transition involving LeBron James, who averaged 15.3 field goal attempts before moving to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Rockets expect the return of Fred VanVleet, who missed the entire previous season with an ACL injury.