Coming into this season, some felt that Luka Doncic was poised to have an MVP-type season and possibly even win the award, especially after he slimmed down and got into better shape over the summer. He certainly had a fantastic season and averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals a game, although he suffered a hamstring strain on April 2 and has been out since.
Doncic played 64 games in the regular season, which left him one game shy of the 65-game minimum that is required for players to be eligible for the NBA’s end-of-season individual awards. An Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge appeal was filed, and he won the appeal, making him eligible for such honors.
But he will not be getting the MVP award. On Sunday, the league announced that the three finalists for the Michael Jordan Trophy are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won it last year, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
This probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Doncic’s chances of winning the MVP were slim to none, injury or no injury. His Los Angeles Lakers finished with a 53-29 record and are the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and players whose teams finish as low as fourth typically don’t win the MVP award.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Doncic absolutely played at that level all season long. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for both January and March, and he ended up leading the NBA in scoring. The last time a Lakers player led the league in scoring was the 2006-07 season, when Kobe Bryant won his second straight scoring title.
One has to expect that Doncic will almost certainly be named to one of the league’s All-NBA teams, just as he was in five of his previous seven seasons.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic is not a finalist for NBA MVP award
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
