Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic gets love in ESPN predictions

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic remains in the MVP race and is a player experts want on their team in the finals according to ESPN’s predictions.

The Dallas Mavericks are about to begin playing games again. They return to action on Friday night in Orlando. It starts a stretch of four straight games against teams under .500. The Mavs need to take advantage of the favorable slate if they are going to make a jump in the standings.

The roster is healthy and ready to make a run. Luka Doncic returned from his ankle sprain and dropped 33 points in the final game before the break. Kristaps Porzingis is finally regaining his All-Star form. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist should be ready to make his Mavericks debut too. It is going to be a fun stretch run.

ESPN predicted the major awards and some interesting categories over the break. Here is a look at where the Dallas Mavericks showed up.

Luka gets MVP votes

ESPN voters ranked their top-three to win the Most Valuable Player award. Luka Doncic finished fourth but did not receive any first-place votes.

If the 20-year-old goes off down the stretch, he could find his way back into the race. Luka has slipped recently after missing time with injury. Reminding everyone he is capable of averaging a 30-point triple-double would put him back in the running.

Luka’s a main man

Doncic also got 2.9 percent of the vote for “which player would you most want on your team in a Finals series”. That finished tied for fifth with Stephen Curry. That is incredible. Luka is only 20 and already being viewed as a difference-maker on the NBA’s biggest stage.

Best team in West over next 3

The Dallas Mavericks also finished fifth when asked about which Western Conference team would be the top team over the next three years. The future is bright in Dallas. Fans should be excited about the team now and moving forward.

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