Who will win the 2025-26 NBA MVP award? With less than two weeks to go in the season, the answer to this question is dependent on who you ask, and if you ask Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick his take on the race, you shouldn't be surprised to hear him campaigning for Luka Doncic.
This has been an incredible first full season in Hollywood for Doncic, as he will finish the year leading the league in scoring at over 33 points per game, and he has taken the Lakers to new heights. That is why when he was asked about the MVP race on Monday night, Redick immediately turned his attention to the team's superstar.
“I would just say if we continue to finish the season the way we're playing right now and he continues to play that way, to me, he is the MVP,” Redick said before the Lakers' 120-101 win over the Washington Wizards. “But sometimes there's recency bias, and sometimes there's the bias of a certain stretch of the season.
“I think when we started 15-4, you could have made an argument that he was the MVP then. Well, he's been the MVP for two of the three segments of the season.”
Since the All-Star break, the Lakers have gone 16-5, the fourth-best record in the NBA during this span.
Doncic has had his fingerprints all over the Lakers' success as of late, averaging 35.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game in the 20 games he's played since the All-Star break in February.
He will very likely earn Player of the Month honors for his video-game-like numbers, and Doncic has started to rise in the MVP race late in the year. However, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and others continuing to also play at a very high level on some of the best teams in the league, Luka's case for MVP is not as clear-cut as Redick makes it sound.
Although he missed Monday's win against the Wizards due to a one-game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul of the season, Doncic will return to action on Tuesday night in a key home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Not only will this be another moment for Luka to add to his MVP resume, but it's a big chance for the Lakers to further their grip on the Western Conference's 3-seed with just a handful of games remaining.
The Lakers currently hold a 1.5-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the 3-seed, and they can take a step closer to clinching the Pacific Division with a win on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
