Thursday was a phenomenal day for the pro-Luka Doncic MVP agenda. It gave two wonderful answers to the most ludicrous ideas floated around by voters throughout the season, but especially of late, with Doncic ramping up the pressure to seriously change how the race looks.
Firstly, the "Luka doesn't play defense" crowd got sincerely humbled when the NBA announced their Eastern and Western Conference Defensive Players of the Month. Victor Wembanyama (deservedly) won it for the West. But, oh, what was that? Doncic was among the nominees? That's right!
Luka joined Donovan Clingan, Kris Dunn, Rudy Gobert, and Chet Holmgren as the other players who got consideration for the honor. Yeesh. Sorry Rachel Nichols, Chris Mannix, Michael Wilbon, and everyone of the sort — that must be embarrassing.
To add to the nomination, Doncic also wound up as the actual winner of another award. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar claimed his second Player of the Month award after his ridiculous stretch in March. That actually made him the only star among the other notable MVP candidates (Wemby, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic) to have two of those honors.
So much for only being good this month.
Luka Doncic should be separating himself in the NBA MVP race
Let's keep it a buck: if the MVP award was not a narrative contest, Doncic may actually be firmly in the driver's seat after this last month of basketball. It's not just about what he did in March, though, it is about the entirety of what this campaign has been for the superstar point guard.
Who thought the Lakers would be in the position they are?
Some had Los Angeles stumbling back towards the Play-In before the season started. Other, bolder, assessments had them missing the postseason altogether.
Nope — third seed, back-to-back 50-win campaigns, and a record that is set to improve on what they did last year. Is there not value in that kind of overachieving?
Doncic has definitively been the driving force of the Lakers. Is he the only reason for their success? No. Is he the primary engine powering the ship? Yes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have an 8-4 record without Shai this season. The San Antonio Spurs are 10-5 without Wembanyama. The Denver Nuggets are 10-6 without Jokic playing. The Lakers are 7-6 when Doncic is not there.
Is that the perfect end-all argument as to why Luka is the most valuable? No. As with everything, there is added nuance. However, it does point to the strong structure each of those franchises have without their main guy.
Add in the time missed for both Austin Reaves and LeBron James this season, the overall issues with health throughout the entire year, and countless other factors, the conclusion at the end of it should still be the same. Doncic deserves that MVP. Whether enough voters can have that epiphany between now and when it is time to cast the ballot remains the biggest question.