With the finale of the NBA season coming closer and closer, it is time to start talking about who will win which award. Rookie of the Year is quite easy to take a swing at, but the Most Valuable Player award tends to be up in the air depending on who you ask. Top candidates are: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander among others. One name that is left off that list, is Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. Having the best year of his career, Doncic is propelling the Mavericks into another playoff berth. With a healthy Kyrie Irving beside him, Doncic is undoubtedly putting up MVP numbers. Due to the recognition of other teams and where they stand in the league, Doncic is usually left off to catch up. I do not believe that should be the case. Let’s take a look at each of the names I listed above, along with Luka Doncic.

We’ll start with the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic is upon the best basketball players the league has seen in years. Having one of the best years of his career so far, Jokic shows no signs of slowing down his dominance. Averaging near a triple double (26/12/9), Jokic is a clear candidate for the MVP award. Not only that, but his Player Efficiency Rating is more than double the amount of points as the league average (32-15). With Jamal Murray still the lead guard in Denver, Jokic is the best big man in the league, and Denver’s offense runs through the Joker. With the second most triple-doubles in the NBA, Jokic is on an absolute tear. Let’s not make our decision right away, let’s look at the 3 other players who lead the MVP candidacy.

Next, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard is having easily the best year of his career. Gilgeous-Alexander IS the Oklahoma offense. SGA is the only player to average 20+ points on the roster, and he leads the next leading scorer by over 12 points-per-game. With the Thunder currently holding the 1st seed in the West, it is a safe bet that SGA will be a top candidate for the MVP award this year. There are still 2 other players who are deserving of the honor to be the NBA MVP.

The third man we will look at is  Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Consistently one of the best players in basketball for the last 5+ years, Giannis is still one of the best in the game. He has abilities like no other, with his height and his speed, Giannis is always a threat whenever he is on the court. The Greek Freak has an average of just under 30 points per game, along with a near 62% field goal percentage. The athleticism is the most impressive characteristic of Giannis. I’ve been watching basketball for a long time, and I don’t ever remember a player as big as Giannis who could move like he can. With his speed he is able to handle the ball so well and create space for himself and his teammates. Although, there’s still one man left to talk about, and his stats are better than any of the stats above.

Now, let’s move on to MY MVP winner, Luka Doncic. Doncic has always been a talking point for MVP candidacy, but he has never taken home the trophy. This year should be the year that it happens. With Kyrie Irving on his side, and the Mavericks finally employing true big men, Luka has a solid supporting crew around him to help carry the workload while trying to get the Mavericks deep into the playoffs. Doncic is such an elite player in the sense that he is always a scoring threat, while being one of the elite playmakers in the game. Luka is so close to averaging a triple-double in the 2023-24 season, with a 34/9/10 stat line. In their most recent bout, Doncic led the Mavericks to a 136-125 win against the Toronto Raptors in Scotiabank arena. Toronto is not a team to dismiss so quickly, who were on a 3-game win streak before the loss to Dallas. Doncic competing in the game on his 25th birthday, set history on this night:

Luka Dončić notched 30 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists against the Raptors tonight for his 67th career triple-double.

Turning 25 today, Dončić is the first player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double on his birthday. pic.twitter.com/DTsxt7nXVh

— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 29, 2024

Compared to the other players that I have mentioned, Luka’s statistics measure up quite well with the opposition, and dare I say better. I really do not like the notion that a teams standings in the league should impact the players’ chances at the trophy, but I do understand that it must be taken into consideration. Dallas year in and year out is a playoff team, so that should tell you enough. that Luka is able to propel a team into the postseason. While Luka is such a scoring threat, he is also a great team player. With the new additions around Doncic this year, Luka’s teammates are having great years themselves, as Luka is able to find them with ease for the open shot. His playmaking skills shine even more alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green, who tend to perform better in a faster pace game. The newest addition to the Mavericks is probably the most intriguing: Daniel Gafford. The chemistry they have together is insane. After a screen, or just movement around the court, Luka is always able to find Gafford down low for a dunk, secondary shot, or another type of scoring opportunity. Not to mention that Gafford is the exact player the Mavs have been longing for since the Nowitzki era.

At the end of the day, I don’t have any sway in the voting on who takes home the big one, all I can do is prove why Luka Doncic is a top 2 candidate for the MVP trophy this year, and hopefully this time around the voters realize it too.