Mavs' Luka Doncic Shares Similar Stats to MVP Buddy Nikola Jokic
Although void of a regular season MVP, Luka Doncic stats suggest he's worthy of the prestigious award. Las Vegas has figured Doncic as the MVP favorite on three occasions. Nikola Jokic, winner of three such awards, shares a stastical proximity with his friendly rival Doncic.
Nikola Jokic tops five statistical categories (regular season and playoffs) over the last four seasons: plus-minus, boxscore plus-minus, field goals, assists, and rebounds. Of the five stats Jokic conquers, Doncic appears in the leaderboard for three of them.
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For the first time in the Doncic Dallas Mavericks era, the team is set, prepared for another deep playoff run.
Although Doncic experienced MVP favoritism headfing ito prior seasons, the Mavericks overall perfomance tanked No. 77's chances of legitinaltely having a fair shot at the coveted award.
However, as Dallas ended on a strong note last season, Doncic finished in third place, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and of course Jokic in the candidate race. Before the Mavericks storied 2024 playoff run, the closest to MVP Doncic inched was the 2019-20 season, where he landed fourth in MVP votes.
The Mavs finished with a fourth seed, recording 52 wins in 2022, yet such a mark didn't land Doncic the award. It will likely take a top-three seed for the Mavericks superstar to clinch the first regular season MVP award.
However, following a 4-1 NBA Finals defeat to the Boston Celtics, and missing the 2024 Paris Olympics, Doncic has his eyes on a different set of gold.
