At this point in Luka Doncic’s career, there are rarely any surprises anymore. With five (likely to be six) All-NBA First Team selections and six NBA All-Star selections in eight seasons, Doncic has not only proven his place in the league, but he has firmly entrenched himself in the conversation for the best player in the NBA. 

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean Doncic can’t still find ways to leave many of us in awe. 

Everyone knew that the ball was going to end up in Doncic’s hands for much of the game, and yet the New York Knicks could not stop his savvy scoring and nifty passes to teammates. It didn’t matter that the Knicks were leaving no space even for the Holy Spirit; Doncic found room to operate and leave New York in disbelief. 

This campaign is by no means a career year for Doncic, nor is it his most efficient. However, the Slovenian has looked healthy and ready for a long postseason run. Last season saw Doncic follow up an NBA Finals appearance with a 50-game campaign that saw him play in 22 games for the Dallas Mavericks before moving to the Los Angeles Lakers in what was the trade that broke the internet. In the end, the emotions from the trade and him clearly not being truly 100 percent healthwise saw a promising 2024-25 season with the Lakers end in a first round exit. 

Though he has missed 12 games already in 2025-26, Doncic looks much better. He’s leaner, but more importantly, his shotmaking looks more half-man, half-amazing than half-baked, half-deliberate. It also comes from having a full offseason with Los Angeles, and the level of comfort he has with his teammates has been evident not just on the court but off it as well. 

It’s no wonder Doncic was viewed as a preseason favorite for MVP and while he’s still a big part of the conversation, winning the award will be easier said than done. Doncic will need to beat out reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and another frontrunner in Cade Cunningham. Of course, the 65-game requirement has Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jokic in danger of missing out on the award, but among the three, it’s Doncic who will likely hit 65 games. 

The Lakers are trying to avoid the Play-In Tournament as of this writing and while Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are trying to do the same, Doncic has a three-game window for load management, while Jokic only has one game left. 

Technicalities aside, Doncic’s MVP aspirations begin with an uphill climb and this season has shown that he is more than up to the task. Of course, a championship remains a priority especially after he was three games away from clinching one. Every title run begins with the first step and Doncic chasing the league’s highest individual award may be the first domino to fall.