Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been one of the best players in the league for a few years now.
By just his sophomore season, he secured a place in the top four for MVP voting and has continuously been selected for the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Star Game. Six years into his career, he is already regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.
The 24-year-old has continuously shown signs of improvement throughout the years, and this might be the season where he secures his first NBA Most Valuable Player award.
The Slovenian recently dropped 50 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, and four steals while joining the 10,000 points club during a statement Christmas Day win on the road over the Phoenix Suns.
3 Reasons Luka Doncic Should Win 2023-24 NBA MVP
1. Luka Doncic has improved.
This season, Doncic has shown a remarkable improvement in his game, achieving career bests in multiple categories.
These include scoring an average of 33.5 points per game (second-best in the league), distributing 9.4 assists (third-best in the league), shooting 78.5 percent from the free-throw line, hitting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, and matching his career high with 1.4 steals per game.
Additionally, he has demonstrated remarkable discipline by committing the fewest personal fouls per game of his career at just 1.8.
2. Mavericks are a better team this year.
In the previous season, the Mavericks held a record of 38-44, placing them 11th in the Western Conference. Despite the midseason acquisition of star guard Kyrie Irving during the trade deadline, they fell short of securing a spot in the play-in tournament.
After a busy offseason that saw them select two players in the first round of the draft - Cason Wallace and Dereck Lively II, as well as acquire forward Grant Williams and guards Seth Curry and Dante Exum, the Mavericks have been so much better this year by going 18-12 and holding the sixth spot in the Western Conference by Christmas.
3. Big man voter fatigue.
Over the past five seasons, only three individuals have secured the NBA Most Valuable Player award, all standing tall at over 6-foot-11 and showcasing dominant inside prowess.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed the honor in 2019 and 2020, while Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic won back-to-back MVPs of his own in 2021 and 2022. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid won the latest one in 2023.
This season, voters might get a little tired of choosing a big man to win the honor despite Embiid being the early frontrunner for the award. They might want to give it to a guard once again.
Despite Embiid emerging as the early frontrunner for this season's MVP, voters might prefer diversifying the award by choosing a guard, deviating from the trend of recent big-man dominance.
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