Carmelo Anthony Names His MVP Pick And Says He Sees "Different Luka Doncic"

Carmelo Anthony predicts MVP for 2026-2027 season© Instagram/ Lukadoncic and Instagram/ Carmelo Anthony

When someone who spent nearly two decades as one of the league's best scorers says he sees something special in another player, people tend to pay attention. Carmelo Anthony has now shared his pick for the 2026-27 MVP, and it's Luka Doncic. There's a catch, though. Carmelo is backing one particular version of Luka, and he wants to see that version stick around.

Carmelo Describes the “In-Shape” Luka

Anthony spelled out what he's hoping for: “Like if you get a healthy Luka, in shape Luka and like focused Luka. Giving effort on the defensive end Luka, like, just commenting to that part of it, you know what I mean? That's a different Luka right there.”

He was upfront that it all depends on staying power. “If that's sustainable we talking about the West a lot different. You get what I'm saying?” A great few weeks is one thing, and Carmelo knows better than most how hard it is to keep that going through a full season. But if Luka can hold it, he believes the whole conversation around the West changes.

What seemed to stay with Anthony most was Luka's energy. “He's level of play and focus, and determination, like you can see it in his bounce, you can see it getting and 1s like he's driving switching hands getting and 1s yelling, that's a different type of Luka.” You can almost hear him smiling as he says it. Anthony isn't talking about a stat line. He's talking about a player who looks like he's having fun and means business at the same time, and who plenty of teams would rather not see in that mood.

Luka's Numbers This Season

The early results back up Carmelo's read. Luka has opened the 2026-27 season in strong form, and the Lakers are 7-2, with their latest win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Doncic is averaging 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists, which puts him among the league's top scorers.

Those numbers cover the first part of Carmelo's checklist, the healthy and focused part. The rest, the defensive effort and keeping it going for months, will take longer to judge. For now, the Lakers are winning and Luka looks like he's enjoying himself, which is the kind of start Carmelo was hoping to see.