Jason Kidd gets real about Luka Doncic being ineligible for MVP trophy: “Playing to win championship”

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd made his thougths known regarding his star Luka Doncic missing out on an important award in the NBA.

Jason Kidd gets real about Luka Doncic being ineligible for MVP trophy: “Playing to win championship”

Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd

The NBA has certain criteria for their MVP Award nominee: a player has to play at least 65 games in a season to be nominated for the award. Given that, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been top-notch for his side this season. However, the superstar hasn’t played in the last nine games for his side in the league, leaving fans disappointed.

This is because he is now unable to fulfill the 65-game criteria, making him ineligible for the 2024–25 NBA Awards. According to reports, Doncic has been excluded from regular-season NBA honors and is currently out due to a calf injury. Head coach Jason Kidd was questioned about Doncic before the Mavs’ game against the Denver Nuggets (in Dallas).

It’s fair because the league made the rules. We’ll play by the rules. Unfortunately, he isn’t eligible to win MVP, but it’s a team sport and understanding that we need him back to win the championship and so understanding that the individual awards will come, but we’re playing to win a championship, and hopefully, we can get him back soon.

Jason Kidd told the reporters
YouTube video

Since it was previously known that Doncic will miss a significant number of games this month, it is not particularly surprising. Along with the 25-year-old, his on-court companion Kyrie Irving also missed the Nuggets game due to injury. Due to a lumbar back strain, the seasoned guard is anticipated to miss two weeks of action. He has missed four games already, and this is his fifth.

FS Video

Doncic is presently shooting 46.4% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range in 22 games, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. With a 22-16 record in 38 games, the Mavs now hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

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Jason Kidd praises Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in matchup against Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Denver Nuggets, who are conference rivals, 101–112 tonight after blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Notably, Mavs stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were out due to injuries. Given that, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was at his peak. He dropped a sensational 4th quarter comeback in Dallas which left Mavs head coach Jason Kidd stunned.

He’s one of the best at it. If he does miss, he finds a way to come away with that offensive rebound and put-back…He’s the best in the world, and so we gotta try to take something away…

Jason Kidd told the reporters
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Jokic finished the game with nine assists, 18 rebounds, and 19 points (6-13 FG). Given his brief difficulties against sophomore Dereck Lively II, it wasn’t a particularly compelling case for Jokic to win MVP. However, his tenacity and capacity to motivate his teammates made sure that the fourth quarter went their way.