Luka Dončić is playing his best basketball as a Laker.
His play has placed the Lakers as the No. 3 seed in the West, and with him scoring 600 points in the month of March, second in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan, there’s an argument to be made that he’s never been this good, period.
Dončić raising his level of play has brought him into the MVP conversation. This has also prompted people to critique his game and compare him to other NBA stars, such as Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder.
As the debate rages on regarding Luka’s impact and his potential defensive shortcomings compared to SGA and Wemby, Rui Hachimura went to bat for his superstar after he put up another 40-plus point performance in a victory over the Cavs.
“I mean, you can see he’s the MVP, Hachimura said postgame. ”I don’t really know everything about it, but I can only see he’s the MVP in this league. What he does, what he brings to the game, every game literally. He’s so talented offensively and people talk about his defense, but he’s been getting good stops, steals and boxing out. The little stuff he’s been doing on the court, everything. It’s been amazing.”
On offense, Luka’s dominance is without question. He’s the NBA’s leading scorer and has had clutch moments like his game-winner over the Nuggets, which won them the tiebreaker over Denver, and his 60-point game against the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back.
On defense, his quality is tougher to see, but just as evident. Luka is averaging 7.1 defensive rebounds per game, the highest on the Lakers.
He has 194 defections, which is the second-highest on the team, and averages 1.7 steals per game. Dončić has the 11th most steals in the league.
And when teams try to pick on Luka as a defender, they haven’t been able to capitalize. According to the NBA, in isolation defense scenarios, Dončić is allowing 0.95 points per possession on 104 isolation plays. This places him in the 45.9th percentile.
As a Laker, Hachimura himself has witnessed firsthand what greatness looks like. He played with Anthony Davis when the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals, has been in countless games with LeBron James, and now with Luka.
If Hachimura is this emphatic that Luka is the MVP, then he has a leg to stand on in this conversation.
Hopefully, the NBA media that votes for the award also sees what Rui does, and Luka gets the recognition his play warrants.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
