Luka Doncic is off to a record-setting start to the 2022-23 NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks and has already emerged as a prime candidate to win the NBA MVP award.
Doncic had 30 or more points in the first nine games he played this season, becoming the only NBA player to do so since Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 30+ points in the first 23 games of the 1962-63 season.
His impressive streak came to an end on Wednesday, when he was limited to 24 points on 9/29 shooting, along with six rebounds and six assists, in an 87-94 road loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Slovenian superstar leads the league in scoring with 34.8 points on 49.8% shooting, plus 8.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game.
“I just know from last year I had to start better because the way I started last year wasn’t acceptable,” Doncic said last week, via ESPN. “So, I tried to learn from that and just be better than last year.”
Luka Doncic can do everything on the floor
Thanks to his offensive repertoire, Luka Doncic has been unstoppable this season and opponents have found it very difficult to guard him.
He can score in a lot of different ways, including from mid-range, with a layup, through mismatches, and from beyond the arc.
Doncic also leads the way in Player Efficiency Rating with 36.10, with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo being second with 32.15.
Aside from scoring, he can do everything on the floor and is averaging close to a triple-double after just 10 games.
Luka Doncic has been more vocal on and off the floor this year and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd greatly appreciates this.
“You hear more from Luka as a leader on this team, and it started to come out last year when they went to the Western Conference Finals, but it is really coming this year. If you’re going to be the MVP frontrunner, you can’t just be a good player. You’ve got to be a great leader,” Kidd told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, via SB Nation.
Being in the MVP conversation requires not only elite offense, but excellent defense as well. Luka Doncic has entered the season in good shape and his physical condition has been key to his defensive improvement.
He is in the top 10 in the NBA in steals per game at 2.0, after finishing last season with 1.2. However, he knows that individual stats are not enough. The team’s success will bring him closer to claiming the award for the first time in his career.
Luka Doncic stated to the media prior to the start of training camp in late September that the Mavericks’ main goal would be to return to the Western Conference Finals.
If this happens, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will attempt to return to the NBA Finals after being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors last year. Dallas is currently sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 6-4 record.
*This article first appeared on Sportskeeda.com: https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/luka-doncic-dallas-mavericks-mvp-award
