Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at Luka Dončić.
Luka Dončić keeps playing at a ridiculous level season after season. He has a slew of accolades in his NBA, European and international careers, but one thing is missing.
He still hasn’t won an MVP award.
Last season, he finished fourth in MVP voting, receiving one first-place vote. We’ve seen him lead his former team to the NBA Finals in 2024, winning Western Conference Finals MVP along the way. He finished as the leading scorer during the 2024 and 2026 seasons, and pulled off incredible performances like scoring 100 points in 24 hours last season.
He also helped the Lakers put together an incredible March last season, finishing the month with a 15-2 record. Now, with a team full of new faces and him holding the keys to the franchise, is this the season he finally gets the actual MVP?
What is his best-case scenario?
In August, Luka arranged a trip to Slovenia for his teammates, where they not only played basketball and golfed, but also bonded in other ways. Luka’s best-case scenario would be building on the chemistry he created with the team, which would, in turn, strengthen his MVP case.
We’ve seen how well he plays alongside his BFF Austin Reaves, as they finished last season as the league’s highest-scoring duo, averaging 56.8 points per game. Luka also turned Jaxson Hayes into a serviceable backup big, mostly by connecting on alley-oops. LA’s new big, Walker Kessler, is significantly better and will be part of the future to develop something special with Luka.
Opposing teams will always focus on stopping Luka, leaving teammates open for plenty of scoring opportunities. Luka averaged 8.3 assists per game last season. That number could rise as he’ll have the ball more after LeBron James’s departure and with a team built to get the best out of him.
The team has many new players, several of whom haven’t been under the bright lights before. If Luka can turn a Lakers team that many don’t see as legit championship threats into a contender, his MVP case won’t be ignorable.
What is his worst-case scenario?
Luka’s worst-case scenario would be having to do too much heavy lifting, causing him to miss an extended period of time… just like last season. The talent surrounding him now is built to take some of the pressure off his workload, which could hopefully give him an extended stay on the bench when he’s taken out for rest.
However, he has a history of hamstring injuries. The Lakers didn’t have a bench that could produce enough to give Luka more rest.
They’re going into a new season with a younger bench, but the pressure still remains on Luka. Even if they have more ball handlers this season, like Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes, Luka determines the Lakers’ ceiling. And if some of those bench players aren’t up to snuff and the minutes start piling up for Luka again, it could be déjà vu all over again.
He’s a superstar, so it’s not shocking that he will always have a heavy workload, as all MVPs do. But if it doesn’t result in the Lakers having a good record, that will his worst-case for MVP.
What is his most likely role on the team?
Well, that’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? He’s the leader. The MVP, if you will.
For all eight of LeBron’s years in the purple and gold, he was always considered the leader. Now Luka enters his first season tasked with guiding LA back to the promised land. He’s got a team with players signed to multi-year deals that will create continuity, and his sidekick in Reaves, so the ball is in his court to do something exceptional.
Luka is the point guard and maestro of the team. He’ll have the scoring responsibility on his shoulders. He will facilitate. He’ll knock down insane triples and do whatever else is asked of him.
If he can do that while leading the Lakers toward the top of the Western Conference, then an MVP might finally be added to his trophy cabinet.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
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