Luka Doncic has made an explosive start to the 2026-27 NBA season, leading the league with 36.0 points per game. However, that scoring production has not placed him among Charles Barkley’s initial favorites for the MVP award.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
During an appearance on the NBA’s The Steam Room, Barkley named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards as the three players he expects to compete for the honor. He did call Doncic a possible candidate, but he didn’t pick him to win it. His reasoning came down to one thing: for Barkley, MVP is about how good your team is, not just your numbers.
“I’d probably go with Shai or Anthony Edwards. They both are great players. I think their teams are going to be in the thick of it all year. I think the MVP will definitely come from the West because the Joker is going to be there,” Barkley said.
He later returned to the same three candidates, naming Shai, Jokic and Edwards as the players he expects to be in contention. Gilgeous-Alexander is looking to build on consecutive MVP wins, while Jokic remains a regular presence in the race and has three of his own. Edwards has also established himself among the Western Conference’s leading players.
Doncic’s absence from that initial group stands out given his scoring numbers. However, Barkley’s comments suggest that individual production is only one part of his MVP assessment.
Luka eventually entered the conversation when Ernie Johnson asked Barkley about potential MVP candidates from the Western Conference.
“Luka will be in the conversation, but I don’t know if they could get higher than four,” Barkley said.
Barkley said that the Los Angeles Lakers might surprise some people but according to him they’ll not finish higher than fourth. That’s about where Doncic landed last season, too. He led the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game but finished fourth in MVP voting.
That assessment revealed what could keep Doncic behind Barkley’s preferred candidates. The former NBA star places considerable importance on team performance when evaluating MVP contenders, even when an individual player is producing outstanding numbers.
Johnson brought up the importance of availability and team success during the discussion.
“You got to stay healthy. Number one, you got to play enough games. Yes. And especially these days with the minimum of games. And your team needs to be good. You got to be relevant,” Johnson explained.
Barkley agreed with that assessment, pushing back against the argument that MVP should be viewed purely as an individual award.
“Yeah, but it is. It is a reflection of your team,” he said.
He then pointed to Michael Jordan’s early career as an example of how team performance can affect MVP recognition. Despite being one of the NBA’s best players, Jordan did not immediately become a leading candidate because the Chicago Bulls were not yet among the league’s strongest teams.
“Michael Jordan probably was the best player in the NBA. He could have won it,” Barkley said. “But Michael probably was the best player like three years before he actually got at the conversation because the Bulls wasn’t very good.”
Jordan’s example illustrates how a team’s standing can influence MVP recognition. For Doncic, the Lakers’ position in the Western Conference could become just as important as his individual production.
The conversation also turned to the pressure surrounding Luka as the Lakers’ leading figure. Barkley highlighted the responsibility that comes with being the face of the franchise, particularly after the expectations that followed his move to Los Angeles.
“It’s his Laker team. He got to stay in shape and he’s got to play a bunch of games because he can’t prove the Mavericks right. Like he won’t stay in shape. He’s always hurt. And now he got to be a leader too,” Barkley said.
Doncic’s challenge now is to translate his individual production into team success. Leading the league in points per game gives him a strong individual starting point, but his availability, leadership and the Lakers’ results will also matter.
For now, Barkley’s preferred candidates are Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Edwards. Doncic remains in the conversation, but he will need the Lakers to deliver a strong season if he hopes to move ahead of those three in the MVP race.