There’s a catch: Luka Doncic of the Mavericks is finally getting significant MVP accolades.
Luka Doncic has recorded jaw-dropping numbers throughout the 2023-24 season. He’s slowly climbed up the NBA MVP rankings over the past few months. The Dallas Mavericks star did not receive nearly enough attention in the conversation early in the season, but that narrative is changing now. In fact, Doncic is second in the rankings according to NBA.com’s MVP rankings, via Michael C. Wright of NBA.com.
Only a few weeks earlier, Doncic was ranked fourth. Most recently, he and Giannis Antetokounmpo were tied for third place. He was still behind Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though, in the race for the top two slots.
Luka moves up to the second overall position, surpassing Gilgeous-Alexander, who was ranked third. But Jokic continues to lead overall. Even though the season is coming to an end, Doncic still has time to overcome Jokic. Regarding the debate, it will be crucial to keep an eye on the Mavericks’ ultimate standings position.
The Denver Nuggets, led by Jokic, are presently atop the Western Conference. As of the time this piece was written, Dallas had won nine of their previous ten games. As a result, they have overtaken several teams in the standings and are currently sixth in the conference.
The Mavericks trail the Los Angeles Clippers by two games and the fifth-place New Orleans Pelicans by just one and a half games. Dallas’s chances of winning the No. 4 seed should improve for Luka.
Naturally, Doncic is already a strong candidate due to his impressive numbers. He can no longer be disregarded in the MVP discussion. Luka Doncic would most likely be the front-runner for NBA MVP if the Mavericks were further in the standings.
Jokic is, of course, in the MVP conversation at all times. The Nuggets standout took home the honor in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 campaigns. Jokic was finally overthrown by Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in 2022–2023; nonetheless, Jokic still placed second in the MVP poll.
