Is this finally the season Luka Dončić wins MVP?

Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at Luka Dončić.

Luka Dončić keeps playing at a ridiculous level season after season. He has a slew of accolades in his NBA, European and international careers, but one thing is missing.

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He still hasn’t won an MVP award.

Last season, he finished fourth in MVP voting, receiving one first-place vote. We’ve seen him lead his former team to the NBA Finals in 2024, winning Western Conference Finals MVP along the way. He finished as the leading scorer during the 2024 and 2026 seasons, and pulled off incredible performances like scoring 100 points in 24 hours last season.

He also helped the Lakers put together an incredible March last season, finishing the month with a 15-2 record. Now, with a team full of new faces and him holding the keys to the franchise, is this the season he finally gets the actual MVP?

What is his best-case scenario?

In August, Luka arranged a trip to Slovenia for his teammates, where they not only played basketball and golfed, but also bonded in other ways. Luka’s best-case scenario would be building on the chemistry he created with the team, which would, in turn, strengthen his MVP case.

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We’ve seen how well he plays alongside his BFF Austin Reaves, as they finished last season as the league’s highest-scoring duo, averaging 56.8 points per game. Luka also turned Jaxson Hayes into a serviceable backup big, mostly by connecting on alley-oops. LA’s new big, Walker Kessler, is significantly better and will be part of the future to develop something special with Luka.

Opposing teams will always focus on stopping Luka, leaving teammates open for plenty of scoring opportunities. Luka averaged 8.3 assists per game last season. That number could rise as he’ll have the ball more after LeBron James’s departure and with a team built to get the best out of him.

The team has many new players, several of whom haven’t been under the bright lights before. If Luka can…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/finally-season-luka-don-wins-180523039.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-24 18:05:00

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