Luka Doncic rightfully frustrated about MVP race: It’s time for him to speak up

Luka Doncic had every right to be frustrated. 

Entering Friday’s game against the Nets, he had averaged 40.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals in the Lakers’ last six games, becoming the first player to average 40 points over six road games since Michael Jordan in 1986. 

And yet he dropped in NBA.com’s MVP Ladder from second to fourth place over the last week. 

So on Friday, after finishing with 41 points on 60% shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the Lakers’ 116-99 win, Doncic showed his exasperation when asked what winning the MVP Award would mean to him. 

“…The better I play, the more I go down in ratings,” Doncic said. “So I don’t know what more I can do.”

For Doncic, who’s not a man of many words, that’s about as much advocacy as he has done for himself all season when it comes to the league’s most heralded individual honor. 

Doncic needs to start speaking up more. 

Victor Wembanyama surpassed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for No. 1 on the MVP Ladder this week after the Spurs’ star was asked why he should win the award — and he went on to argue his case as though he were an attorney trying to win over a jury. He pointed to defense being 50% of the game, the fact that the Spurs beat Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder in four of their five meetings and that offensive impact is more than just scoring. 

A video of Wembanyama’s answer went viral and multiple pundits acknowledged it made them reevaluate their thinking on the award. (It also helped that he had 17 blocks in his last three games for the streaking Spurs, who have won seven straight contests.)

Of course, Draymond Green, who’s a master at using his words to shape narratives and has become a future Hall of Famer by pouring himself into the defensive end of the court, didn’t hesitate to point out the absurdity of Wembanyama’s words being viewed as revelatory. 

“Everybody says he has a great point,” Green said Thursday of Wembanyama emphasizing the importance of defense. “Hello? You think? I hated that he had to do that for it to be said. All of a sudden, you turn on the TV and everybody is like, ‘Actually, maybe Wemby is the MVP.'”

But the truth is that the MVP Award is wildly subjective, with some voters emphasizing seeding, others placing importance on stats and others prioritizing things that don’t even show up in box scores, which is often the case for defensive impact. 

So, self-advocacy is smart. It’s the ultimate explanation by the foremost expert on the subject. It’s powerful. It resonates even if it’s obvious. 

Doncic’s case is clear: He’s leading the league in scoring (33.6 points) and is third in assists (8.3). He has helped the third-seeded Lakers win 14 of their last 16 games, including going on a recent nine-game winning streak.

And while the defensive end is where holes can be poked in his MVP case, he has led the league in steals (41) since the All-Star break. 

The race has become tight. 

There’s Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s the best player on the best team in the league. There’s Wembanyama, who’s elite on both ends of the court and has helped the Spurs win 23 of their last 25 contests. There’s Nikola Jokic who’s a triple-double machine. And there’s Jaylen Brown, who has carried the Celtics to second place in the East despite Jayson Tatum being sidelined for the first 62 games of the season because of a torn Achilles’ tendon. 

For Doncic, the MVP race is going to come down to the final nine games of the season, especially considering the Lakers play the Thunder twice over the next few weeks. If Doncic outshines Gilgeous-Alexander, his case for the award will skyrocket. 

But in the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt Doncic to advocate for himself.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammates have been doing his dirty work for him, arguing that he deserves the award. Brown recently called himself the best two-way player in the world. Wembanyama is acting as though he’s on a campaign trail.

Doncic recently squandered a great opportunity to follow suit.

After scoring 60 points against the Heat on March 19, inspiring a hostile crowd to chant “MVP,” he was asked why he believes he’s not getting more recognition.  

His response? 

“It’s you guys, the media,” he said. “I ain’t got nothing to do with it.”

That’s where he’s wrong.

If he wants to win, he should start chiming in.

It can make a difference.

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