Luka Doncic gets major disrespect from NBA MVP voter

Even though Luka Doncic deserves MVP honors this season, all signs are pointing to the NBA wrongfully robbing the Dallas Mavericks superstar of the award. His otherworldly production and ability to lead his squad to a top-five seed in a tough Western Conference should secure him more votes.

However, it appears Nikola Jokic, who said earlier this season that Doncic "100 percent" deserves the league's top individual plum, is on his way to winning his third MVP in four years. The fact that the Denver Nuggets won seven more games than the Mavs and the big man was better in some advanced stats seems to weigh more heavily than the Slovenian phenom's body of work this season does.

Still, Doncic should land second place in MVP ranking, but intriguingly, some folks have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder behind Jokic in the voting.

Luka Doncic gets major disrespect from MVP voter

Among those with a ballot who picked Gilgeous-Alexander second in MVP voting is longtime sportswriter Bill Simmons. He revealed his choices for the various end-of-season awards on a recent episode of his podcast, saying that the Canadian guard deserves to be MVP runner-up for leading the Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. 

While The Ringer founder acknowledged that Doncic is the better player, he contends that Gilgeous-Alexander has had a tougher task in this campaign, saying on his show (at 34:54), "I think he had a better regular season than Luka did because his job was harder."

I beg to disagree. 

The jury's out on which of the rivals has the stronger supporting cast. Oklahoma City has Most Improved Player candidate Jalen Williams, Rookie of the Year challenger Chet Holmgren, and other complementary pieces. On the other hand, Dallas' roster features incredibly talented players, including Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and a couple of secret weapons that could be crucial down the road.

However, it should be noted that Doncic has had to deal with his teammates getting injured this season and a Mavs roster that had mismatched parts before the trade deadline. Equipped with better-fitting players and a more effective rotation, Dallas was able to field a team that intimidated opponents on both ends of the floor.

Still, Luka has been the primary reason for the Mavs' late-season surge in the standings, thanks to his leadership and all-around game. Interestingly, the NBA world has not seen elite production across the board since Wilt Chamberlain dominated the league.

But despite a strong case for the award, Doncic might have to wait at least one more season before he finally gets the respect he deserves in the MVP voting as all signs are pointing to Jokic winning the coveted award.

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