Luka Doncic's last showing in the Detroit Pistons loss was one of his less impressive performances during this recent stretch of otherworldly outings. 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals was a slow day at the office by Doncic's standards. Think about that for a second.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been brilliant all year, and yet, somehow, Doncic has managed to turn it up a notch during the past few weeks. That elevated play is reviving conversations that have not been fully around since 2024. Luka is back within clear striking distance of best player in the world talks.
"Luka Doncic was taking so much criticism just a couple weeks ago when the Lakers were not on a nine-game winning streak," Marc Stein said on the ALL NBA Podcast. "I found all of it absolutely ridiculous. ... If they finished with a third seed, that is a massive achievement."
Stein added his confusion over how quickly people forget about Doncic backpacking his rosters in the past. To him, Luka has taken all the noise, absorbed it without saying anything, and started playing like the best player in the world. In the eyes of the NBA insider, he is playing as well as he ever has.
Move over Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic is coming for the crown (again)
The title of best player in the world is a delicate topic. Nikola Jokic has enjoyed a near consensus on that moniker for the majority of his prime years. Credit where credit is due, Jokic earned every bit of that.
Doncic has invited his insertion into that conversation a few times. People were ready to crown Luka during the Dallas Mavericks' run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Losing against the Boston Celtics on the biggest stage the NBA has to offer slowed down that coronation.
There was some chatter about inviting that thought again during this past offseason. Doncic was dominating the EuroBasket tournament so much that it was fair to wonder whether the gap between him and Jokic was all that large.
Unlike that brief window of second-guessing the matter, the MVP-like surge of late has forced those conversations back out into the open completely. Granted, anything definitive will likely have to wait.
It will be difficult to unseat Jokic at the top spot without a championship parade. There are other players who can throw a strong case in there too. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama should not be afterthoughts here.
Even so, Doncic is close — closer than some may want to admit. Whether there is a clear moment of him supplanting Jokic depends on just how much more ridiculous the Lakers superstar can play and what kind of team success can come from that.