Let’s get this out of the way: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should win NBA MVP. He’s putting up 30 a game on absurd efficiency, his Thunder have lapped the field and he’s the most reliable closer in the league. His MVP candidacy is a runaway. This article isn’t about the MVP, though.
This is about something bigger — something harder to measure and a lot more fun to argue about. For the better part of five years, Denver’s Nikola Jokic has been the best basketball player on Earth — the guy you’d take first if you needed one series, one game, one possession with everything on the line. Three MVPs. A title. Seasons that routinely broke our brains, often without the benefit of an All-Star teammate.
But here we are in April 2026, and for the first time in a long time, that title feels genuinely up for grabs. SGA, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic have made real, credible claims to the throne.
So the question is straightforward: Heading into these playoffs, is Jokic still that dude — or has the league finally caught him?
The case for Nikola Jokic for best player in the world
To be clear: There’s no slippage in Jokic’s game; others have simply ascended to his level. This season, “The Joker” is posting an absurd triple-double average for the second straight season (27.9 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 10.9 APG) and leading the NBA in assists and rebounds per game (no player has led the NBA in both averages in the same season).
Denver’s offensive rating ranks first in the league (120.8 points per 100 possessions). When he’s on the floor, the Nuggets are a plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions; when he’s off the court, the Nuggets are a minus-3.4 points per 100 possessions. That on/off differential has been his calling card for four straight seasons, and it remains enormous.
Jokic is, statistically, the most impactful offensive player in basketball. He’s a 6-foot-11, 284-pound blend of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s feathery shooting touch. The degree to which he warps a defense simply by catching the ball at the elbow is still unmatched. No player in NBA history has sustained this kind of all-around production at this level of efficiency for this long.
The challengers to Nikola Jokic for best player in the world
SGA has the strongest case. He’s putting up gaudy scoring numbers (31.6 PPG) for the team with the best record (62-16). And, despite only getting 31 games so far from his All-NBA running mate, Jalen Williams, OKC is the heavy favorite to hang a banner this postseason too, with SGA as the engine.
He’s the best player on the best team, plus he’s first or second (with Jokic) in the NBA in most of the advanced statistics like win shares (14.8), value over replacement player (7.5), box score plus/minus (11.8) and player efficiency rating (31). His 59.4 percent effective field-goal percentage as a guard is almost unfair, and his points per 36 minutes (33.9) is even higher than Doncic’s (33.7).
At 27, Gilgeous-Alexander is entering his prime years with a supporting cast that isn’t going anywhere. If the Thunder repeat, SGA becomes the undisputed best player alive.
Wembanyama is the most fascinating challenger. At 22, he’s putting up 24.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 3.1 BPG per game, and the Spurs are 59-19 and coming off an extremely entertaining overtime loss to Jokic and the Nuggets in which he effectively battled The Joker to a draw.
Wemby is literally one-of-a-kind: a beautiful blend of Manute Bol’s height, Kevin Durant’s offensive game and Rudy Gobert’s rim protection (but better!).
And perhaps best of all, this kid doesn’t just have the natural gifts to be one of the greatest players of all time; he has the competitive fire burning inside him that only the greatest players have. He wants to win all the championships and all the MVPs. We all know he’s going to be the best player in the NBA soon, but Wemby has no interest in waiting — he thinks he’s the best player in the world right now, and he might be right.
Doncic is doing Luka things in Los Angeles. His 33.5 PPG leads the NBA, and he’s chipping in 7.7 RPG and 8.3 APG for a Lakers team sitting at 50-28 (third in the Western Conference). He dropped 60 on the Heat. He scored 600 points in March (becoming one of 10 players to hit that plateau in a month). And, before his hamstring injury Sunday night (he’s done for the regular-season), he had vaulted the Lakers into the contender circle.
When Doncic is cooking — and he’s been cooking all season — there might not be a more unstoppable offensive force in basketball, including Jokic.
The verdict for best basketball player in the world
Jokic still gets the benefit of the doubt… for now.
The numbers still say Jokic. Triple-double averages, absurd true shooting, on/off data, offensive rating, advanced metrics. Denver, which plays host to Portland on Monday night, is 50-28 and has the first-ranked offense in the NBA, and Jokic is the reason.
He’s also a proven playoff performer with a championship and a Finals MVP on his résumé. When the intensity ratchets up in April and May, he takes his game to a new level (see Saturday’s 40-point, 13-assist, eight-rebound performance in a win over Wemby and the Spurs).
But that benefit of the doubt has an expiration date. If SGA leads Oklahoma City to a repeat, the belt changes hands. If Wembanyama carries San Antonio to the Finals at 22, the conversation shifts permanently. Even Doncic, if he gets healthy and drags the Lakers to a title on his back, would have a legitimate claim.
Jokic is still the king. But for the first time, the king is looking over his shoulder, and there are three guys closing fast.
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