Jump Ball
Fifteen games into the NBA season is a small sample size to go by when having conversations about who the 2020 MVP candidates are. The talk, however premature, is causing a lot of excitement around the league. Fans, players, and media alike have their choices, but one name that is rising to the top of the list repeatedly is Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
2020 Regular Season
Through 15 games in the 2019 season, Doncic is scoring 29.9 PPG, getting 9.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG. That is a James Harden beard-hair from averaging a triple-double. Not only is it impressive to have that stat line, but to do it as a second year player automatically puts him in the MVP discussions.
Rookie Year
Doncic was selected the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, and made the 2019 NBA All-Rookie team. Luka played in 72 games for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 21.2 PPG, 6 APG, and 7.8 RPG. Dallas finished the season with a 33-49 record, good for 14th in the Western Conference, and watching the playoffs at home.
Final Buzzer
Many players have famously put up big numbers on terrible teams, but it is the MVP’s who rise above the rest and elevate their teams. Luka Doncic has increased his offensive output, but the difference between this season and last season is that the team is winning. Dallas is 10-5, while they are 6th in the Western Conference, they are looking as if a berth in the playoffs is highly possible. Luka is averaging nearly a triple double playing alongside Kristaps Porzingis, a former All-Star himself. Porzingis only joined the team in the summer, and has been rehabbing a serious injury. Porzingis is on a load management program, but when he is in the lineup with Doncic, the two play well together. The season is young, however, if healthy, that dynamic duo will be trouble for the Western Conference. Doncic has abruptly silenced critics who claimed that his game would not translate to the NBA, and turned the talk into legitimate votes for MVP.