SUMMARY
- Luka Doncic leads the league in various categories while leading the Mavericks to fifth seed in the Western Conference.
- Nikola Jokic believes Doncic fulled deserves to be named MVP this season.
Luka Doncic came out of nowhere and changed to narrative around the 2023-24 season. Besides the obvious numbers and achievements he’s had, the impact Doncic has had on the Dallas Mavericks is certainly iconic. Doncic initially didn’t make an appealing case for the MVP race, however, he started erupting after the All-Star break. Right now, Dallas is the team most other franchises are worried about.
Luka Dončić this season:
• 34/9/10
• 1st in points
• 2nd in assists
• 73 point game (4th highest ever)
• First 33/9/9 season in NBA history
• Most 30-PT TD’s since MVP Russ
• 1st in 25-point games
• 1st in 35-point games
• 1st in 40-point games
• 1st in 45-point games… pic.twitter.com/FtxNznqXCl— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) April 11, 2024
Nobody understood why the Mavericks decided to pair Kyrie Irving with the 2018 Rookie of the Year. But after the Mavericks went on a 16-2 run in their last 18 games, people started realizing that this duo can work wonders. Right now, Dallas ranks fifth in the Western Conference, and they’re the fifth team in the division with 50 wins. This was another achievement they unlocked after defeating the Miami Heat recently.
Only Luka Doncic trails Nikola Jokic in the MVP race
It seems like the entire Mavericks team is ready to place their votes for Luka Doncic to win the Kia League MVP Award. Ahead of the Mavericks vs Heat game, almost everybody wore t-shirts that said “Pravi MVP” which means “Real MVP”. Doncic is the only player in the MVP who trails behind Nikola Jokic at the moment. But Luka’s teammates aren’t the only players who believe he deserves to win.
“Luka deserves to be the MVP, 100%.”
-Nikola Jokić on Luka Dončić pic.twitter.com/x5A9rVefaf
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) April 11, 2024
Jokic himself admitted that Doncic fully deserves to be named MVP this season. He said, “Luka deserves to be the MVP, 100%.” Jokic was crowned MVP in 2021 and 2022. Initially, Joel Embiid led the race by a mile and was on pace to win his second straight. However, injuries sidelined him for multiple games which automatically disqualified him from contesting. The league requires players to appear for at least 65 games to contest for regular season accolades.
Luka Doncic already has the LA Clippers preparing for their playoff clash
Right now, Luka Doncic is a +2100 favorite to win the MVP while Jokic leads by an overwhelming margin. The 2x MVP is a -5000 betting favorite according to Fox Sports and a -4000 favorite as per various other sources. Putting that aside, the Mavericks have now achieved playoff contention. They will most likely face the LA Clippers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Reporter: “When do you start preparing for the Dallas Mavericks?”
Tyronn Lue: “I’ve already started.” pic.twitter.com/GqU5acHICM
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 11, 2024
The Clippers recently played back-to-back games against the Phoenix Suns and they won only one game in the two-game stretch. During a recent interview, Ty Lue was asked if he has started preparing for the Mavericks. He replied, “I’ve already started,” before abruptly walking out of the conference room. The Mavericks have only one win against the Clippers which was during an In-Season Tournament game. That’s the concerning part, however. Dallas excelled while they were playing for an In-Season title.