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The Los Angeles Lakers have come along way from what they were 12 months ago. They have finally figured out how to make Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic to coexist. Not to mention, Coach JJ Redick has pushed his squad to the point where they could still mathematically compete to notch the second seed over the San Antonio Spurs. While the postseason nears and they are preparing for that, the head coach wanted people to focus on the NBA MVP race and how his star might overtake Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Redick wants Doncic to get NBA MVP recognition
As of late, the Lakers have been on a nine-game winning streak and is looking like they want more. A lot of that is because Doncic has been pivotal in their offensive engine throughout this second half of the season. He has jumped from fourth in the NBA MVP ladder all the way to second. The guys that he usurped to get closer to SGA? Well, it's heavy-hitters like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. So, Redick figured that his star player should be getting nearly the same recognition as the frontrunner from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers head coach made his case for why Doncic should be getting more NBA MVP buzz, via Shaun Powell of NBA.com.
"He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now. I know it’s not being talked about enough, but I’m going to talk about it … I think the way he’s navigated this season, he’s done a fantastic job leading this group," Redick declared.
Doncic averages 33.4 points while dishing out 8.4 assists and grabbing 7.9 rebounds. He is also shooting at an unbelievable 47.6% clip from the field while attempting 22.7 shots per game. Moreover, he is also doing this against tough defenses and continually torching them. The Lakers star either pops off for 60 to 41 points or he stays at his 30-point average while torching squads like the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets.
It has been years since Doncic got involved in NBA MVP discussions. This might be the closest that he has ever been to actually win the award and Redick is making sure that he gets his flowers. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, will the Lakers superstar clinch the Michael Jordan trophy over SGA?
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