Ahead of his third NBA season, Dallas Mavericks 21-year old star Luka Doncic was the betting favorite to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP Award. Mavs fans are aware of this.
While Luka Doncic certainly believes he's capable of winning the award and it's one of his stated goals, he's focused on bigger things.
“I think I can do it,” Luka Doncic told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. “But that's not my first goal. Far from it. My goal is always is to win the championship. Not just mine, the whole organization. Hopefully, someday we can achieve it.”
Luka Doncic produced one of the greatest sophomore campaigns in league history in 2019-20, finishing fourth in MVP voting after averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game.
The Mavericks won 43 games (in a shortened season) and earned the no. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Dallas will likely need to finish a little higher in the standings this season for Luka Doncic to validate the odds-makers.
Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a marquee Christmas Day showdown at the Staples Center.
“I'm very excited. This is my first one, and we play the champions,” Doncic said about playing on Christmas. “That's why I'm excited, too. It's gonna be a fun day, fun game, and a lot of people are going to be watching.”
Doncic also spoke about the first time he played James, whom he idolized as a young hooper. Friday will mark the seventh time Luka Doncic has faced James in his career. As a superstar himself, Luka is no longer star-struck by the King.
“Now it's way different than the first game,” Doncic told Nichols about facing James. “It's still special, but it's a different situation. You're just trying to win.”
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