3 days ago
NBA scout: Luka Doncic will win MVP and get 'revenge on Dallas'
By now, it is widely known that Luka Doncic has a new and improved physique. He has taken his health, fitness and conditioning seriously this summer, and he has reportedly lost 30 pounds in total since last summer.
Before and after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, Doncic was flabby and out of shape, and late this past season, he was also dealing with at least one nagging ailment. As a result, he was clearly laboring to get up and down the court, although he still managed to finish the season with averages of 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists a game.
Some people around the NBA are now saying that Doncic is poised to win this coming season's MVP award. One scout watched Doncic play for his native Slovenia in a EuroBasket friendly versus Germany on Friday and was amazed by how the superstar looked.
He told that the 26-year-old will do some great things once the new NBA campaign begins.
'Man, he looks incredible,' the NBA scout told 'He's quicker and more explosive. He's getting by people more easily. I think he's on a mission, man. I think he's gonna win MVP and the scoring title next season.'
That same scout even feels that Doncic will be supremely motivated by something external.
'He wants to get revenge on Dallas for basically fat-shaming him,' the scout added.
After the Dallas Mavericks sent him to L.A., they criticized Doncic's physical fitness and off-the-court habits through the media. Doncic may not admit it publicly, but it will likely give him some extra incentive to put forth a career-best effort.
The Lakers likely won't win enough games for Doncic to win the MVP award. However, narratives could sometimes influence who wins the award well before voting takes place, and if enough voters feel this is a storyline that matters enough, and Doncic puts up the requisite numbers, the number of games the Lakers win may not matter that much.
After all, the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic won two of his MVPs when the team won under 50 games. In fact, he took home the award for the 2021-22 season even though Denver finished sixth in the Western Conference.
