NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
Mark my words: This is going to be the best NBA season yet for Luka Doncic.
He should win the MVP award. Or be the runner-up if the Lakers can’t make enough noise in the very- crowded Western Conference.
Advertisement
The pathway is primed. Let’s break it down.
Doncic is mad.
He’s still reeling from the shock of being traded by the Mavericks to the Lakers in February 2025. He was stunned. Humiliated. What other top-four player has been dealt in their prime? He has a vendetta. Something to prove to the league.
He has a sense of ownership.
The Lakers are now his team. LeBron James left in free agency for the 76ers. The success or failure of a 17-time championship franchise now rests squarely on his shoulders. That means something.
He has his fingerprints on everything.
During the offseason, he put his stamp on the squad. He had a big say in who he wanted to play alongside, including the Lakers re-signing Austin Reaves and acquiring center Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade from Utah.
Advertisement
He’s ready.
He’s arguably in the best shape of his career. Lakers coach JJ Redick recently said he “worked his butt off all summer,” adding that he “actually did sprints and stuff.” He’s noticeably slimmer.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Luka Doncic (77) talk during an NBA preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, Monday, October 5, 2026, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NBAE via Getty Images
He’s acting like a leader.
Doncic recently hosted a four-day minicamp in Slovenia to help build chemistry. He has never done anything like that before in his career. He paid for everyone on the roster to fly to his home country. He really wants this to work.
And in many ways, he was spurned last season.
Let’s not forget that Doncic actually fell in NBA.com’s MVP Ladder in late March from No. 2 to No. 4 following a six-game stretch in which he averaged 40.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals, becoming the first player to average 40 points over six road games since Michael Jordan in 1986.
Advertisement
“The better I play, the more I go down in ratings,” Doncic said at the time. “So I don’t know what more I…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-luka-doncic-win-nba-220622430.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-10-07 22:06:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
