Dallas Mavericks will stop Luka Doncic from winning MVP

The NBA MVP award has never been awarded to any player whose team is lower than sixth in the standings.

Dallas Mavericks will stop Luka Doncic from winning MVP

Luka Doncic is vying to win the NBA league MVP, but the Dallas Mavericks might stop him from winning

The Dallas Mavericks drafted Luka Doncic in 2018 with the view of using his otherworldly scoring and playmaking ability to win championships. For that matter, they kept tabs on Doncic’s development in the European leagues for years.

They spent a lot of money on scout trips to Europe, where Doncic developed into Real Madrid’s best player. The hype around Doncic kept growing after he guided his team to a EuroLeague Final Four. 

But the Mavericks were convinced of Doncic’s abilities during his final season with the Spanish giants. Doncic became the youngest EuroLeague MVP winner and led Madrid to a EuroLeague title. His performances in the Final Four earned him the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award as well.

Those were accolades enough to confirm Doncic’s status as one of the best European players in recent history. All of that was enough for the Mavericks to engage in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on draft night to secure his services. 

Fast forward six seasons, and Luka Doncic is in the running for league MVP in the NBA. The toughest and most competitive basketball league in the world has a chance to crown Doncic as its newest king. Winning a league MVP award is one of the best accomplishments a basketball player can have in their career. 

Although some have won multiple MVPs, getting their hands on one trophy will make their career a resounding success. This season, Luka Doncic is working hard to try and win the NBA MVP award for the first time in his career. 

Luka Doncic’s case for a league MVP

His performances throughout the season have warranted that his name is in the discussion for the award. However, the KIA MVP Ladder currently lists him 5th on the list. That does not make sense when Doncic has better numbers than the others ahead of him. Doncic is averaging 34.6 points, 9 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game.

He is 1st in points and assists among the MVP frontrunners. It seems the Dallas Mavericks are the reason for his ranking. Team records matter in the MVP rankings. In the last 3 decades, no player has won the MVP award with his team lower than 6th in the standings. It shows that the MVP is supposed to lead their team to success.

Several players in the league probably average more than the MVPs, but their team might not be winning enough. Therefore, the MVP award favors those who guide their teams to the topmost playoff standings. Their performances must have a direct impact on the team’s record. Not just individually. Which is why it is known as the NBA MVP award. Not the team MVP.

Will the Dallas Mavericks scupper Luka Doncic’s MVP hopes?

Despite Doncic’s otherworldly numbers this season, the Dallas Mavericks are currently 8th in the Western Conference. The Mavericks have not been able to utilize Doncic’s performances to their advantage.

They have a dismal 35-28 record despite having superstar Kyrie Irving on the team. Before the trade deadline, the Mavericks brought in PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford to help them in their playoff run. But it has not helped them in a major way so far.

The Western Conference is hotly contested with several superstars pushing their teams to better playoff positions. Doncic is already shorthanded when going up against the best of the West. And none of those other stars on his team, have helped to contribute consistently.

Doncic’s ball-hogging is also a concern. Considering the number of shots he attempts per game, his teammates might not be getting a chance to try and score. But Doncic cannot be completely at fault for his team’s lackluster showing.

Maybe it is down to how head coach Jason Kidd prepares them. He might want to help Doncic get his first MVP. But that motive is not helping the Mavericks. And in return, that team form is scuppering Doncic’s chances.

The common point among the four superstars ahead of Doncic in the MVP race is that their teams are either of the top three teams in their respective conferences. Which loosely translates to the team’s record matters in the race for the MVP award. 

What do the analysts think of Doncic’s MVP hopes?

NBA on TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, both former league MVPs, were discussing Luka Doncic’s MVP chances this season.

Barkley made it clear that if the Dallas Mavericks do not improve to at least 5th in the standings, they might scupper Doncic’s chances of being league MVP. Co-analyst and former 2-time NBA champion Kenny Smith added that a league MVP is supposed to use one’s otherworldly numbers to help the team win games.

But in Doncic’s case, even though he is putting up those numbers consistently, the Mavericks are not winning in a similarly consistent fashion.

Although O’Neal did mention that Doncic could still win the MVP award despite the Mavericks being so low in the seedings, he did bear in mind that Doncic should pass the ball more for the team to win. Barkley was adamant that the Mavericks need to win games. Doncic might be able to have several otherworldly seasons in the league.

But if the Dallas Mavericks do not win games, he will never be able to get his hands on that MVP trophy. They concluded that the way the Mavericks are set up to play games, Luka Doncic might at the max end up with one MVP award in his career.

This shows that the former players do not consider the Mavericks good enough to support Doncic’s cause.

How can the Dallas Mavericks help Luka Doncic win the MVP award?

The team led by coach Jason Kidd has to change their game plan substantially to assist Doncic in his MVP quest. For starters, Doncic has to give up the ball a bit more than he is used to currently.

If the ball is shared with Kyrie Irving, he can dominate a game well enough to win. Even if he is having a bad night, the ball can go to his other teammates to ensure the Mavericks win.

The bottom line is that the Dallas Mavericks have to find a way to get wins under their belt in order to climb the playoff ladder.

If they do not, it will have a detrimental effect not only on the team’s playoff hopes but also be the only negative remark on Luka Doncic’s MVP report card. That is exactly the scenario currently, as the KIA MVP Ladder page mentions the Mavericks team record as the only blemish on Luka Doncic’s otherwise stellar campaign.

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