Luka Doncic generating his own MVP hype with continued stellar play
Saturday 23 November 2019 09:28, UK
Dallas Mavericks' wunderkind guard Luka Doncic continues to string together amazing performances and generate his own MVP hype, writes NBA.com's Sekou Smith.
A coordinated social media campaign isn't necessary.
Ringing endorsements from coach Rick Carlisle or those who have faced him are also not required. There is no hype needed to shine a spotlight on Luka Doncic, the second-year Mavs star who is generating a buzz with each brilliant game he logs.
When you join the elite list of players to average a 30-point triple-double in a 10-game span (Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James) and you do it before turning 21, your superstar status is easy to verify.
Doncic has played his way into any conversation about this season's best players and lands in the No 3 spot in this Week's Race to the MVP Ladder.
His versatility and all-around dominance to date is drawing favourable comparisons with where James was at the same point in his career many years ago. Their head-to-head matchup on November 1 - which the Lakers won in overtime - is already one of the season's most entertaining games. Their matching triple-doubles that night also seemed a fitting tribute to their similar styles as jumbo facilitators for their teams. Doncic went toe-to-toe with the player he most admired growing up and the mutual respect overflowed after the game.
"You never know who you can inspire along your path," James said then. "For me, playing the game the right way, getting my team-mates involved and playing for the purity of the game, I was able to inspire a kid that wasn't even in America. That's pretty special."
His current magical run has seen Doncic shred opponents while confirming all those comparisons to a young LeBron - albeit with a more polished offensive repertoire at the same stage.
"He was already a great player last year, borderline All-Star. He's for sure an All-Star this year," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Doncic logged a 35-point triple-double against his team. "He just looks like he knows he's the best player on the floor out there."
Doncic made history with his performance against Golden State, setting a record for consecutive 35-point triple-doubles (and sharing a record with Allen Iverson, too).
"He is having a phenomenal year," Carlisle said. "I don't know how else to characterise it. His ability to balance the paint game with the outside game makes him really tough to deal with for opponents, and he's on a really great roll right now."
Sekou's MVP ladder
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Last week: No 1
Season stats: 30.1 points, 14.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.4 steals
Anything you do, Giannis can do better. He jumped in on this season's triple-double parade with 24 points, 19 rebounds and (a career-high) 15 assists in Thursday's win over Portland. It was his second triple-double of the season and 16th of his career. Wilt Chamberlain (three times), Oscar Robertson (three) and Larry Bird are the only other ones to have done what Antetokounmpo did on Thursday.
2. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Last week: No 2
Season stats: 24.9 points, 11.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals
Lakers legend Magic Johnson is convinced LeBron is on track for his fifth MVP. With the Lakers riding their five-game (and counting) win streak to the top of the NBA standings, it's easy to see why so many are aboard the James train. Anthony Davis is also operating at an MVP-level, giving the Lakers the look of a team bound for a championship chase.
3. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Last week: No 9
Season stats: 29.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.3 steals
Just 14 games into his sophomore season and Doncic has skipped the line with one outlandish performance after another. Already this week Doncic posted the first 40-point triple-double of his career in a win over the Spurs. Two days later, he got the first 35-point triple-double in under 30 minutes in NBA history.
4. James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Last week: No 3
Season stats: 38.3 points, 7.8 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals
Russell Westbrook would appreciate it if you don't try to normalise Harden's greatness. It's impossible to do that when Harden rips off a stretch of eight straight games (all wins) scoring 35 or more points, or when a 27-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist night (like he had Thursday in a loss to Denver) qualifies as an off night.
5. Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
Last week: No 6
Season stats: 25.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists. 2.3 steals, 1.0 blocks
Leonard's load management situation is what it is. His impact on winning for the Clippers is not complicated. And now that he has Paul George healthy and in a groove, the 1-2 punch they bring on both ends of the floor is something to see (just ask Boston).
The next five
6. Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics)
7. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
8. Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
9. Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
10. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
