The dialogue around Luka Doncic this season has been nothing short of mind-boggling at times. Instead of celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers superstar as the clear top-five player he's been, Doncic has been dragged for the silliest of reasons. The dialogue is quickly shifting.
Whining to the referees had become a needlessly overblown point of contention. From the way it was discussed, one would be forgiven for believing that if Doncic played 36 minutes, 35 of those were spent barking at officials. Then, there was the defense. Again, the conversations surrounding the subject made it sound like Luka was a bottom-five defender in the NBA.
Skip ahead to March and the talk is finally where it needs to be. The most recent edition of the KIA MVP Ladder featured Doncic leaping up to the second spot on the list. Luka now only trails Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the frontrunner for the award.
Never late is always better. However, when it comes to the destination everyone is finally arriving at with the Lakers point guard, "better late than never" will be the motto after some of the ridiculous ways Doncic had been covered.
The NBA is remembering exactly who Luka Doncic is — an MVP
It really took an eight-game winning streak and Doncic going absolutely nuclear for the shift that is taking place today. Luka was truly impossible to ignore during this Lakers run, though.
During the last eight games, Doncic is averaging 40.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 37.6 minutes per game. That comes with shooting splits of 50-42-78. It also has the bonus of debunking the disingenuous narrative about him being a bad defender.
This is not about being a prisoner of the moment either. Many will try to dismiss Doncic on those grounds. That is willfully ignorant of how equally absurd his overall season numbers look as well.
Everyone has gotten a little too comfy with the idea of Doncic posting gaudy numbers. Leading the league in scoring (33.4 points per game) on healthy 48-37-77 splits, while adding 7.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game is being taken for granted. The normalization of an all-time offensive player here needs to be studied.
Doncic's best chance to really tip the MVP conversation in his favor will come in April. The Lakers will have two meetings with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Beat SGA twice late in the year and a narrative-driven award will suddenly have a favorable lens to cling to.