As LeBron James is dominating this year, now in his 17th season, the Lakers are winning big and proving themselves as an elite team. And James is posting triple-doubles and still dunking the ball like a young man. He has Anthony Davis on his team now, and he’s been fantastic. And a player in Milwaukee named Giannis Antetokounmpo who could take his Bucks team to the Finals has also been tremendous. He has been posting big numbers and helping his team win every night. But there is a third sheriff in town, over in Dallas. His name is Luka Doncic, and he should be considered MVP favorite over the other two.
Doncic has helped the Mavericks get off to a 10-5 start while being the youngest player to ever record back-to-back 35-point triple-doubles, also posting the fastest-ever 35-point triple-double. He is making step-back threes at a rate we have never seen, passing like no 20-year-old since James himself.
Overall, Doncic is averaging 29.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 9.7 assists per night, shooting 49 percent from the floor. He cannot be stopped and is looking like he is already a superstar. The true showing of a young player being the best is how he gets better after a strong start to his career. He has scored fewer than 24 points just once this year while rebounding the ball like a big man.
New Face Of The Franchise
The thing about his game is that he is doing this on a team that was in need of a new identity coming into the season. Dallas was Dirkville for the last several years, but with Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement, somebody else needed to become the identifiable leader in Dallas. Doncic has done just that and has the team showing a new swag level, one we have not seen since they won the title nine years ago.
Speaking of which, it has been nine seasons since that championship, their last playoff series win. There has been no talk of firing Rick Carlisle or of him being on the hot seat, and with how they are performing now, it’ll be all good.
We will measure his real value based on how Dallas finishes in a highly competitive West, but we look at how the team plays with Doncic in, and it is just incredible. In that one game where he had just 12 points and failed to make much of an impact, they still found a way to win against the amazing Nuggets.
Aside from two shocking losses against the Knicks, the team has looked as good as it has in years. Doncic is the NBA’s next legend, and he’s already playing like it before being allowed to sip a beer or a wine legally.
Dallas should make it to the playoffs this year, and it has Doncic to thank. The man is doing this on a team that isn’t used to somebody stuffing all three major categories. Dallas found a gem in Doncic, and he is the MVP frontrunner to this point.
DO NOT SLEEP on the Mavs or Luka.
