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Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd believes Luka Doncic deserves to be MVP. The Mavs star has the numbers to back it up anyway. However, he has a rather interesting theory why the media people are likely not to vote for him.
Speaking with Dwain Price of Mavs.com, Kidd made the case for Luka as the MVP. Aside from his output, the Mavs have also been winning and are among the best in the Western Conference.
“I think his stats speak for themselves. What he’s done, if you finish four or three (in the Western Conference as a team), that’s pretty special, too,” Kidd said.
Indeed, anyone who has the numbers and winning record like Luka Doncic should automatically be an MVP favorite. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Jason Kidd himself is interested “to see how the votes” are tabulated, especially since the criteria for the award has been ever-changing.
For what it's worth, though, the Mavs coach added that Doncic might be a victim of the great standard he has set for himself. He came into the league and dominated right from the start. He is as good as he has ever been, but since he has been so good consistently, a lot of people are overlooking what he is doing or are not realizing how special it is.
That is basically the LeBron James effect. Many people argue that LeBron should have won more MVPs than the four he has. After all, he has been the best player in the league more than just the four years he won MVP. For Kidd, the same thing is happening to Luka because people are getting “bored.”
Article Continues Below“I think sometimes we get bored seeing someone do what Luka has done,” Kidd added. “Sometimes you take it for granted because that’s just the norm. And sometimes the norm is pretty special.”
As ridiculous as that may sound, it's a valid point. It has happened before, and it has just been the norm when it comes to media voting. Narratives play a big role, and unfortunately for Luka, it will be difficult for him to win MVP unless he really goes out of his mind and lead the Mavs to the best record in the NBA.
At just 23 years old, though, Doncic will have plenty of chances to win the MVP award. He is already a three-time All-Star at this point in his career where he is far from reaching his prime. When he hits that point, the superstar guard will be even more difficult to stop.
Currently, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the favorites to win the award. Embiid appears to be solidifying his case further by putting up big numbers, while Jokic continues to make a strong push as he leads the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs alone.
As for Giannis, his chances stumbled recently because of the Bucks' loses. However, his impact on both ends of the floor is undeniable and could play well in his favor come voting time.
Doncic himself is being mentioned in those MVP talks a bit, but not as actively as the likes of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
It remains to be seen who'll win the award given how tight the race is. Hopefully, though, it can motivate Luka to take his game to the next level to force everyone to look at him and appreciate the greatness he puts out on a nightly basis.
