NBA MVP Power Rankings: Anthony Davis makes statement in week one action

3. Luka Doncic

This offseason looked a little different than the previous year's for Luka Doncic after his home country team Slovenia got bounced out of the pre-Olympic Qualifiers earlier than expected. While this isn't something fans cheer about, this gave Doncic much-needed time to rest his body after a long playoff run that ended in the Finals.

Falling short of winning the NBA Finals gave the Dallas Mavericks the right amount of motivation to go after some of the biggest names in the free agent market. Dallas retooled around its young superstar by adding four-time champion Klay Thompson.

This addition was not only needed after the team lost shooting during its run to the Finals, but Thompson could be the very push Doncic needs to win his first MVP. Alongside Doncic, Thompson will get wide-open looks which fans have already begun to witness during the Mavericks' first two games of the year.

Having a wide-open shooter that's as reliable as Thompson alongside Doncic will help the Slovenian's stats bolster, but also help the team win games early rather than needing to make a late-season push to punch their ticket into the playoffs.

Doncic is just about the only player who can compete with Gilgeous-Alexander this early in the season and after a 40-point showing against the Suns, Doncic already looks in mid-season shape.

Doncic will need to help the Mavericks win games but also get his role players more involved if he wants any chance at winning his first MVP award.