What does it mean to be the most valuable? Do not ask the NBA, because they have never truly understood the answer to that question, moving the goal posts at a moment's notice. Luka Doncic and his 2025-26 campaign continues to prove they still have not clued in either.
At this point of the NBA season, it is fair to estimate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will collect the MVP by year's end. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander has enjoyed a dominant individual season and is on track for 65 games. It should be pretty close to a foregone conclusion. It just does not not scream value.
Would the Thunder be as good without Shai? No. Gilgeous-Alexander definitely raises the ceiling of that team to the championship favorite they are. However, Mark Daigneault has proven over and over that his team is a well-oiled machine.
Most outstanding player? That may be more like it. Most valuable? Maybe not.
By contrast, it is worth asking where the Los Angeles Lakers would be without the services of Doncic. They certainly would not be pushing for a top-three seed with a second-half surge that everyone has their eyes on. Is that not value?
Luka Doncic is the definition of most valuable for the Lakers
Some ESPN projections had the Lakers missing the NBA Playoffs in 2025-26. They were not particularly grounded in reality, but they did exist.
More realistically, a lot of conversation was about the Lakers potentially being back in the Play-In Tournament before the year started. If that type of regression was expected, then Los Angeles is comfortably overachieving by holding the third seed again.
Granted, the margins in the Western Conference are extremely thin from three through seven. Even so, the Lakers winning nine of their last 10 has given them the separation they need. They are now four games up on the Phoenix Suns, who hold the top Play-In spot.
Unsurprisingly, Doncic has been a driving force of that success. Over those 10 games, Luka has averaged 33.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.0 block per game, shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
MVPs are not won over 10-game stretches, but it's not like his season averages dip too far off that production either. Doncic's 33-8-9 on shooting splits of 47-36-77 has somehow been absolutely normalized by those who cast the MVP ballot every year. Luka is not normal.
At one point there were genuine discussions this season as to whether Doncic was an All-NBA First Team member. Some NBA analysts actually sat there and debated that topic with a straight face.
JJ Redick said it best in a recent media session: "He's playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now."
That stellar play has helped the Lakers overachieve — flawed and all. What will that be good enough for? Probably, at best, a third place finish in the MVP race.