Luka Doncic will hold down leadership responsibilities until LeBron James can return to the court following a sciatic nerve injury.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
General managers surveyed by NBA.com gave Luka Doncic the second-most votes to be named most valuable player. The dynamic guard finished third in MVP voting in 2024 when he powered the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and led the league in scoring.
Doncic proved he can get back to that form by wowing on the international stage at EuroBasket and dazzling in his limited preseason action. But most importantly, he’s settled into L.A. after last season’s seismic trade. The comfort has brought Doncic’s true personality back on the court as he traded jerseys with teammates in practice, cracked a sarcastic joke about when he “had to carry” Redick when they were teammates in Dallas and treated his teammates to a Porsche driving field trip.
Doncic can always deliver MVP-caliber numbers, but by taking on a larger leadership role, he hopes to be in position for more meaningful prizes.
“He’s motivated by winning,” Redick said. “I know this because I talk to him about it all the time. He’s motivated by winning and if we win at a high level, he will be in that conversation for MVP.”
Doncic still finished well behind MVP favorite Nikola Jokic, who got 67% of the general manager votes compared to Doncic’s second-place 10%. The Lakers have not had an MVP since Kobe Bryant in 2008.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
