Luka Doncic deserved the 2024 NBA MVP, not Nikola Jokic

On Wednesday night, the 2024 NBA MVP was announced before the Indiana Pacers took on the New York Knicks on TNT.

As expected, Nikola Jokic won the award, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second while Luka Doncic came in third. It was obvious for weeks that Doncic was going to get robbed of this award, and him coming in third in MVP voting after his historic season is wild to think about.

Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from downtown. His focus on conditioning over the summer and huge strides as a shooter helped him improve so much this season, and his season was seemingly ignored by voters.

Luka Doncic deserved the 2024 NBA MVP, not Nikola Jokic

Doncic's individual numbers tell their own story, but his ability to elevate this team to over 50 wins after most people doubted that they would even make the playoffs this year was remarkable.

The Mavericks as a whole were fairly injured this season, as key players such as Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Maxi Kleber, and Josh Green all missed considerable time. Doncic played in 70 games, and despite not much continuation without the lineup at all, he found a way to help Dallas go 16-2 down the stretch and secure a top-five seed in the Western Conference.

Doncic's tear down the stretch was massive in helping the Mavs get better positioning in the playoffs, but it seems like voters already had their minds made up at this point. Jokic had a historical season and is coming off an NBA Finals win, but what Doncic did this season should have at least had him in the top two in voting. Even Jokic himself said that Doncic deserved the MVP earlier in the season.

Doncic was the first player in NBA history to average at least 33 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, but it seems like voters turned their heads the other way. It seems like the criteria for the NBA MVP changes every season depending on who the vast majority of voters want to win, and Doncic's 52.9 combined points, rebounds, and assists combined with an unbelievable end-of-season run to earn the No. 5 seed wasn't enough.

Doncic put on one of the most spectacular seasons that we have ever seen, but it looks like we'll have to wait until next year for Doncic to make another run at MVP. Jokic and Doncic will continue to remain at the top of the MVP ladder for years to come, and the Mavs could end up playing the Denver Nuggets in the next round depending on how their series shake out.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.