Luka Dončić has already had a Hall of Fame-caliber career, with this season being his best yet.
He averaged a league-leading 33.5 points per game and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month in January and March.
But despite the scoring prowess, dominance, and being the best player on a 53-win team, he wasn’t even a finalist for Most Valuable Player.
He was ruled eligible after his Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge appeal was approved, but the voters didn’t seem to care. The top three
MVP candidates for them were Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.
Before Game 2 against the Rockets, Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared his thoughts on Luka not being named a finalist.
“I’m disappointed,” Redick said. “I mean, I think he deserved to be there and I think all three guys that did end up being finalists have a strong case. A lot of this, unfortunately, is media momentum and sometimes a team, I guess we underperformed even though we didn’t have any expectations coming into the year. But I guess we underperformed for a couple of months despite him playing and getting Player of the Month one of those months and the media momentum never got built.”
What’s wild is that Luka is the only Western Conference player to win Player of the Month twice this season, but he’s not an MVP candidate and his peers from the West are.
Look, all three players are elite and worthy of this award, but Luka has to be a candidate. There are big holes you can poke in all of their games.
For example, Wemby might be the best two-way player, but can he do it on a heavy workload? He averaged just 29.2 minutes per game compared to Luka’s 35.8. What’s more valuable, the guy who plays more or the one who plays less?
Luka has to play that much to get the Lakers wins, and he can do so. Wemby can probably do it as well, but we haven’t seen it. He plays fewer minutes and isn’t as good offensively as Luka.
But hey, he is a media darling playing in a smaller market and doesn’t yell at refs, so I guess he’s a better MVP candidate.
NBA media voters often mention Luka’s defense as why he can’t be an MVP right now, but Joker is standing right there being considered.
When was the last time Joker had a defensive highlight going viral? I’m guessing it would be the first time. But hey, his offense is so good people ignore this, I guess.
SGA is a great candidate, but not perfect either. His team is so good and often wins without him playing much in the fourth quarter. So, how valuable is he? Do they just need him for shifts here and there and for games where things get tight to bring them the win? Dončić is at the center of everything the Lakers do, and that’s by design.
If Luka’s not great, the odds of winning plummet. However, he often is, and it’s why the franchise had back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time in over a decade.
It’s a shame Luka isn’t even in the running for MVP, given how well he’s played, but perhaps it’s a Lakers tax he has to pay.
Kobe Bryant was only an MVP once, despite many saying he is one of the greatest players ever. Anthony Davis wasn’t a Defensive Player of the Year finalist back in 2024 even though he was fantastic defensively.
Not winning the award would’ve been fair given all the great options, but to not even be a finalist is absurd. The day will come when Luka gets his proper respect and admiration, but clearly it won’t be this season.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
