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How Luka Doncic could lift the Lakers with MVP-level season

How Luka Doncic could lift the Lakers with MVP-level season

Yahoo24-07-2025
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor is joined by NBA reporter Jack Simone to discuss Luka Dončić's potential impact on the Los Angeles Lakers this season and whether he can return to MVP-caliber form. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
We also can't rule out the possibility of, you know, a career best year for Luka.
What if, like, this is the summer where you see all these photos of him and he actually comes back and he is in the best shape of his life and he does have his first MVP season.
What if Luka, the guy who's already been doing NBA Finals, dragged the team to the Western Conference Finals alongside Jalen Brunson.
What if this is the year Luka is the MVP?, Then it's like, OK, suddenly, everything about the complexion of this Lakers team changes dramatically if you get that version of Luka.
So I think that's really one of the biggest, biggest ifs of the whole offseason when you look at what teams did.
If Luka is the MVP this year, suddenly the Western Conference landscape changes.
It is wild to think that Luka hasn't won an MVP yet.
I mean, he averaged like a 30 triple-double for his entire career or something and he doesn't have one.
I know the fact that he's still that's ridiculous.
And there's also a chance that playing with Luka does wonders for A again after playing with Chris Paul.
There's a chance that Marcus Smart, now that he's on a team that can actually win, not either an injured team or a tanking team, can play more games and he stays healthy and he makes an impact.
And I think DeAndre, at his best, is still a solid double-double solid post defender type player.
It's just a matter of can he do it?
If the Lakers get that, if the Lakers get that, they're in a great position.
It's just a matter of will they and I guess that's the bet they're willing to take.
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