Luka Doncic is now officially eligible for MVP and many stars believe he deserves it

There’s been a lot of talk about Luka Doncic’s chances to win his first-ever MVP award, but first he needed to become eligible for the honour. Not only did he finally reach the 65-game mark to be able to officially compete for the accolade, but he celebrated it with fashion, as he dismantled Houston’s 11-game winning streak with a blowout 125-107 win. 

As we all know, this campaign the league set a new rule for players to be considered for major awards at the end of the year, which has become a threshold that many superstars like Joel Embiid will not be able to complete before the start of the playoffs. The Slovenian now has the chance to earn the NBA’s biggest award, and could also earn his fifth-consecutive All-NBA First Team selection.

Luka is playing the best basketball of his young career, not only leading the league in point averages with 34 per game, but also putting up 9.1 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.5 steals. He’s also been shooting at 48.9% for the field, 38% from beyond the arc and 78.2% from the foul line.

Draymond Green on Luka Doncic before their matchup tomorrow:

Via @TheVolumeSports

"He puts fear into everyone's eyes. It's impossible to stop him! The best you can do is try to slow him down but he's such a great passer at his size that it's almost impossible. He's my MVP." pic.twitter.com/hhko0oA8YD

— LuKaiSzn 🏹⭐️ (@cookedbylukai) April 1, 2024

As there is no lonely candidate to conquer this season’s MVP award, Nikola Jokic believes it is time for Doncic to earn his first. After both stars faced each other this March in the Mavericks’ late 107-105 win against the Nuggets, the Serbian endorsed his European friend despite not being first in the ladder.

“I think he deserves the MVP, 100 percent,” the big man said of the Slovenian, after he recorded a double-double performance with 37 points and 10 rebounds to his name that night. “But it’s not my decision, to be honest.”

Another who is excited about Doncic’s season is Stephen A. Smith, who doesn’t even rate Jamal Murray and Jokic as the NBA’s most-feared pair anymore.

“I’m going to go with Kyrie and Luka as the scariest,” the ESPN icon said. “I didn’t say better – I know Jokic and Murray are better. But Kyrie and Luka, when you consider what they’re capable of doing… the explosion that’s imminent from game to game, there should be nothing that’s more scarier than that.”

Mark Cuban explains why Luka is a better player than Dirk Nowitzki, but doesn’t believe he would beat him on 1-on-1

Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban lived both the Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic eras, but with fans comparing the two of them, he decided to explain why he believes the Slovenian is the better player.

Despite having a great relationship with the German, the billionaire delivered his sentence. “Yes. No disrespect to Dirk, he knows I love him to death. Dirty and I go way way back, but Dirk will be the first one to tell you that Luka is better,” he told Draymond Green on his podcast.

Nevertheless, just because the current Dallas star is better overall, doesn’t necessarily mean that Luka would beat Dirk in every sense. Cuban believes that if they were to face each other 1-on-1, the German center would end up victorious.

“I think Dirk because Dirk won’t miss. Just in a regular one-on-one game, I think I gotta go with Dirk. Dirk couldn’t stop Luka, but Luka couldn’t stop Dirk, and Dirk four years in (to his career) is a better shooter,” he claimed.