Breaking Down Luka Doncic's Wild Case for the MVP

Whether you like Luka Doncic or not, he has been a spectacle to watch this season with his impressive performances night in and night out. But is this going to be enough to give Luka a fighting chance to win the MVP award this season with all the impressive players who have been shining on the big stage for the whole run.

Why Luka Doncic Deserves to Win the MVP

Doncic has been a promising star to look out for this season, from all those fancy triple-doubles all the way to putting up scoring bursts, the Dallas Mavericks star has been nothing short of impressive as he continues to deliver for the Mavs with the hopes of steering them into the playoffs and away from the challenging Play-In Tournament, which features some of the toughest teams in the Western Conference that no one would want to face in a single-elimination game.

Dallas started out the season with a bang, moving up early into the top spot of the war-torn Western Conference in the early phase of the campaign. However, injuries started to pile up for the team, including on Doncic himself. This led to a collapse by the Mavs in the middle of the campaign while the rest of the West hardened up its claims on the upper eight seeds of the Conference. When Doncic came back healthy in January, the Mavs began their climb, which has seen some ups and downs that has also hampered his case for the MVP.

But does Doncic deserve to win the MVP award? Let’s break down his case among other candidates:

Luka Doncic and Triple-Doubles

Luka has been dropping triple-doubles as of late image

Remember when Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to become the sixth seed in the West when Kevin Durant left for the Golden State Warriors in the 2016-17 season? Westbrook would go on to become the MVP of the season thanks to his season antics composed of triple-doubles – where he would go on to set the record for most of those in a single season. He also eclipsed Oscar Robertson’s single-season record. The Thunder enjoyed on this success, winning games and eventually making it into the Playoffs that season. On Luka Doncic’s end, the Dallas are yet to secure that sixth seed for the Mavs this season, and Dallas is still on the verge of falling to the Play-In Tournament this season in just a single loss on their end or a win from the ones closing in behind them.

And to debunk the claims that Doncic is on a monster roll with triple-doubles, it is actually Domantas Sabonis who leads the league with a total of 25 triple-doubles this season. Reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is second in the league with 22 triple-doubles, before Luka comes in the list with 19 as of the time of writing.

Luka and the Heavy Dallas Load

Perhaps one of the most defensible cases for Doncic’s shot at the MVP is the fact that he is on the prowl when it comes to carrying his team on his back. Luka is currently averaging 33.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game. He is also shooting 48.7% from the field, including 37.4% from deep. All of these alludes as to how much the team needs him to win big games in the season – and let’s not forget that the Mavs are also 3-6 without Luka on the roster this season. An injury-plagued Dallas team further adds to Doncic’s case for the MVP as Jokic also won his first MVP as the sixth seed with an injury-riddled squad. With Doncic on the court, the Mavs are 40-23 this season. This further shows how much carrying Luka needs to do for the Mavs to actually win in their games.

Luka has been carrying the Mavs all-season long image

No one can deny that even with all their acquisitions in the trade deadline, Doncic still remains to be the most important player on the court – yes, even with Kyrie Irving playing alongside the team. This just explains why his MVP case can be connected to his impeccable presence and impact on this Dallas team that offers some of the best two-way dominance in the game.

Luka Magic and Beyond

Luka Magic is Luka Magic image

Doncic didn’t earn the “Luka Magic” moniker for no reason. The Dallas star has raised his stats this season with high volume scoring on his focus. At the same time, he is also getting his teammates invovled, being accountable for most assisted plays in the Mavs so far. Jason Kidd is definitely rubbing off on him, and no one can deny that he can actually prove to be the floor general that the Mavs need while also putting up shows of his own with barrages from deep all the way to fantastic finishes at the rim. His tandem with Irving has proven to be more fluid than ever, and it cannot be denied that the dynamic duo for the Mavs has been special to watch this season.

Part of it is Doncic being able to share the ball with another prolific scorer in Irving, who is also known well to be a ball-dominant player at the same time. This just proves how big of an adjustment Doncic has made this season and yet has found ways to put up impressive performances to lead the Mavs to big wins.

Will Luka End Up with the MVP in the 2023-24 Season?

While there’s no guarantee that Doncic will end up winning the 2023-24 NBA MVP award, he definitely has a strong case on his end to far, and one can say that he is on his way to making a strong argument that fans and critics alike would love to consider before casting their votes and making a campaign on how he actually deserves to win the MVP award this year.

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