Luka Doncic is the best player in the world right now.
His start to the season has delivered a dominant display of historic excellence. It has been an absolute joy to watch the Los Angeles Lakers superstar tear defenses to shreds. That is, unless you are Bill Simmons, but no one should truly care what he has to say amid a clear cry for attention.
Doncic has been peerless. Luka is averaging 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in his first nine games of the year. The Slovenian superstar is doing that with splits of 50-42-87, adding up to a true shooting percentage of 67.9. This generational heater has put him in the company of Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
People keep waiting for the shoe to drop and it just has not happened yet. Maybe it never will, and Doncic will sustain this type of historic offensive peak. If or when he does cool off from the ridiculous production he is delivering, Luka should not be punished for it.
Please, oh please, let us not normalize the absurd things Doncic can do (again). Luka should not need 40-8-8 averages to finally get his long-awaited NBA MVP love.
Luka Doncic does not need to be historically dominant for an NBA MVP
Doncic was so great, so early in his NBA career. In just his second season, the former Dallas Mavericks superstar already earned All-NBA First Team honors. Luka even finished fourth in the race for MVP that year. That remains tied for his second-highest finish in the hunt for that award (2023-24 saw him finish third).
It has been said before, but it will be said again. Doncic set the bar so high for himself that many have gotten complacent with the yearly dose of incredibly play that he delivers. It has made any MVP dreams of his that much tougher to turn into reality.
If Doncic continues to post up these ridiculous numbers and the Lakers maintain a top seed, that trophy should be his. Overdue is an understatement for him.
Even if Doncic does eventually settle in with a more human-like scoring average, that should not give a reason for voters to look elsewhere. Is something akin to, for argument's sake, 35 points per game really so much less impressive that it would warrant folks to look away from Luka's greatness?
Anyone arguing yes should be ashamed of themselves.
Doncic is on pace for the best season of his career. The Lakers are similarly on track for a strong year. It is still early and both of those things can change. However, should things remain relatively consistent to where they are now, it is time to crown Luka.
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