Despite having one of the best seasons of his impressive career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is not receiving serious MVP consideration this year. His coach explained the reason: saying the quiet part out loud.
Thursday night, Doncic once again showed why he truly is a special talent on the offensive side of the ball. In the Lakers' 134-126 win over the Miami Heat, the six-time All-Star scored 60 points. It's the second time he's scored 60 — but it's a far cry from the 73 he scored in a game against the Atlanta Hawks two years ago.
His latest offensive outburst comes a day after scoring 40 in a win over the Houston Rockets and a week after a 51-point night in a win against the Chicago Bulls. Still, these are not the results of a few weeks of heated play. Doncic has been the NBA's best offensive player all year.
Doncic currently leads the NBA in points per game (33.4) after averaging a league leading 35.8 minutes per night. The 27-year-old also ranks second in made threes (4.0) and free throws (7.9) and third in assists (8.9). There is no better player on offense in the NBA, and with the Lakers in third place in the Western Conference, Doncic seems worthy of MVP consideration.
However, as we approach the final few weeks of the regular season, the Slovenian doesn't appear to be in the conversation for the award with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Brown, Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham.
Is Luka Doncic's reputation for complaining ruining his MVP chances?
Lakers head coach JJ Redick explains why Luka Doncic isn't featured more prominently in MVP discussions: "Because he complains to the refs, I don't know"
By u/oat38 in the nba
After Doncic's 60-point night, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked by a reporter why his top star does not appear in the NBA MVP discussion. His one simple response was saying the quiet part out loud. "Because he complains to the refs? I don't know," Redick said.
Redick's nervousness is understandable, but Luka Doncic's night arguing with the refs seemed to be at an annoying extreme and has been a topic of conversation during the season. Additionally, he has been the focus of several viral videos this season regarding his complete lack of effort on defense.
Still, is his offense and defensive effort still enough to warrant NBA MVP consideration given the kind of numbers he's posting on offense? It will be interesting to see how the final votes look in a month.
