Make California Post a Preferred Source Mark my words: This is going to be the best NBA season yet for Luka Doncic.
He should win the MVP award. Or be the runner-up if the Lakers can’t make enough noise in the very- crowded Western Conference.
The pathway is primed. Let’s break it down.
He’s still reeling from the shock of being traded by the Mavericks to the Lakers in February 2025. He was stunned. Humiliated. What other top-four player has been dealt in their prime? He has a vendetta. Something to prove to the league.
The Lakers are now his team. LeBron James left in free agency for the 76ers. The success or failure of a 17-time championship franchise now rests squarely on his shoulders. That means something.
He has his fingerprints on everything.
During the offseason, he put his stamp on the squad. He had a big say in who he wanted to play alongside, including the Lakers re-signing Austin Reaves and acquiring center Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade from Utah.
He’s arguably in the best shape of his career. Lakers coach JJ Redick recently said he “worked his butt off all summer,” adding that he “actually did sprints and stuff.” He’s noticeably slimmer.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Luka Doncic (77) talk during an NBA preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, Monday, October 5, 2026, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NBAE via Getty Images He’s acting like a leader.
Doncic recently hosted a four-day minicamp in Slovenia to help build chemistry. He has never done anything like that before in his career. He paid for everyone on the roster to fly to his home country. He really wants this to work.
And in many ways, he was spurned last season.
Let’s not forget that Doncic actually fell in NBA.com’s MVP Ladder in late March from No. 2 to No. 4 following a six-game stretch in which he averaged 40.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals, becoming the first player to average 40 points over six road games since Michael Jordan in 1986.
“The better I play, the more I go down in ratings,” Doncic said at the time. “So I don’t know what more I can do.”
Doncic averaged 37.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.4 assists, leading the Lakers to a 15-2 record before suffering a strained hamstring on April 2.
And yet, Doncic finished fourth in MVP voting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic.
The case could’ve been made for him to finish higher. Voters knew that. It was an impossible task trying to rank those guys for the league’s most prestigious individual award, especially considering there are no distinct specifications for it. The bar keeps endlessly moving for how voting is justified.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after getting fouled by Dylan Cardwell #32 of the Sacramento Kings in the first half of a preseason game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. Getty Images The kindling is on the floor. The logs have been stacked. Gasoline has been poured over it all. A lit match is about to be dropped.
Right now, basketball is everything for Doncic. His daughters are in Slovenia. He’s engaged in an ongoing custody battle with his ex-fiancée over them. Pouring himself into his sport is the only thing that’s going to keep him sane.
Last season, Doncic declined to advocate for himself to win the MVP award, something Wembanyama successfully did to his advantage.
Doncic led the league in scoring (33.5 points) and finished third in assists (8.3). The only things that could be held against him in such a tight race? The Lakers finished fourth in the West behind the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets. And Doncic’s defense lags behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar two-way play and Wembanyama’s wizardry on the less glamorous end of the court.
But standings aren’t always taken into consideration for the MVP award. For example, Russell Westbrook won MVP in 2017 even though the Thunder finished sixth in the West. Jokic won the award in 2021 even though the Nuggets finished third in the conference.
Defense isn’t always taken into consideration, either. See guys such as Jokic, Steph Curry and James Harden winning MVP.
Voters do the best they can, including this one, who voted for Doncic to finish fourth for MVP last season. But we all know when our decision was decided by millimeter margins.
Doncic is primed to have an explosive season.
All of the ingredients are in the pot. We’re all waiting to see how the dish turns out.
And it’s going to be nothing short of incredible.
