Everyone has fallen in love with the idea of Luka Doncic putting up gaudy numbers, helping the Los Angeles Lakers overachieve in 2025-26, and finally winning the first NBA MVP of his career. The only problem with that is last time that formula was put together for the Dallas Mavericks, it did not include the last part of that equation.
Sam Vecenie served everyone a reminder of that fact during a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast. Doncic looked like an MVP in 2023-24 for the Mavericks. The Slovenian superstar was not crowned with that distinction.
Vecenie said, "I want to stop and pause on Luka, because my immediate reaction going into the year was that I was probably going to end up picking Luka to win MVP. ... For Luka to be an MVP candidate, ... this team almost definitely has to win 50 games, I would say. It might have to be around 52, 53, 54."
Bryce Simon thought the silver lining was that Doncic would not have to lead the Lakers to a finish above the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets to finally secure his first MVP. History has said otherwise. However, there is an important caveat to consider.
Doncic's MVP case already being boosted by element he did not have before
In 2023-24, Doncic put up one of the most impressive individual seasons that one will see from a superstar. The former Mavericks superstar led the league in scoring with 33.9 points, while adding 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, with a 61.7 true shooting percentage.
It was the highest cumulative average of points, rebounds, and assists since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. Doncic still finished third in the MVP race.
A big part of that was the seeding. Despite securing 50 wins, the Mavericks only managed to finish fifth in the Western Conference. That ultimately proved too much for Doncic to overcome.
However, that marvelous season from Luka was a massive surprise. It was almost as if voters did not know what do with it once it arrived. This time, it is expected. Doncic has the narrative before the season starts.
A story of revenge, redemption, and shining under the massive Los Angeles spotlight is as spicy as it gets. An NBA MVP would serve to set Doncic up for a new stratosphere in the league's upper echelon.
Is MVP really all about narrative? Not exclusively. However, those trophies have been won and lost with that aspect being a driving force all too often.