10 Reasons Luka Doncic was wrongfully robbed of the 2024 NBA MVP

The Dallas Mavericks are in the midst of an extremely tough playoff series versus the OKC Thunder, as the Mavericks were blown out in Game 1 on the road despite some hefty contributions from Dallas' role players. The Thunder blew the game open with their 3-point shooting in the second half, but the Mavericks had opportunities to stay in this game, especially if Luka Doncic was able to get anything going offensively whatsoever.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Doncic looked extremely hobbled by a knee injury that he sustained in Game 3 of the first round versus the Clippers, as Doncic finished with 19 points whilst shooting 6-19 from the field.

Doncic's struggles at this juncture of the postseason are extremely concerning, and he or the Mavericks will need to find some sort of remedy to his decreased offensive output if his injury is going to continue to be of concern in this playoff series.

10 Reasons Luka Doncic was wrongfully robbed of the 2024 NBA MVP

However, Doncic's struggles in the playoffs doesn't negate the fact that he was perhaps the best player in the entire league during the regular season this year.

While it was announced that Nikola Jokic won the MVP for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday evening, many fans and analysts would argue that Doncic has a far better case for the award all things considered.

With that being said, here are 10 reasons Luka Doncic was robbed of the 2023-24 MVP award.

10. Highest scoring average in the NBA since prime James Harden

While it seemed like an insurmountable feat for Luka Doncic to increase his scoring average from the 32.4 points per game that he averaged during the 2023-24 season, the Slovenian wonder was able to do just that this year for the Mavericks.

Even more impressive was the fact that Doncic was able to increase his shooting efficiency from the free throw line and from 3-point range despite his usage percentage being at the lowest mark since the 2020-21 season at 35.9 percent. All of this culminated into Doncic averaging nearly the most amount of points per game in the modern era, as Doncic averaged 33.9 points per game this season, the most since James Harden averaged 34.3 points and 35.0 points per game in the 2019-20 and 2018-19 seasons respectively.

Doncic’s scoring output this season was nothing short of amazing, as he continued to add even more tricks to his already extremely deep bag. Doncic epitomized what it means to be a hyper-efficient three-level scorer this season for the Mavericks, as Doncic became increasingly dynamic with his ability to hit tough shots and draw fouls in the mid-range this season for the Mavericks, which led him to secure the Mavericks' single-season record for points in a season.

Doncic already possesses the ability to get to the rim at will against most defenders one-on-one, and his stepback 3-pointer is nearly unguardable when he has his legs underneath him. Doncic has been a masterful scorer throughout his entire career, so it’s extremely impressive that he was able to up his points per game at this stage in his career, even if it’s only marginally.

9. Led Mavericks to fifth seed in the Western Conference

Just months ago it seemed like there was no way the Mavericks would even sniff home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but behind a vastly improved defense the Mavericks were able to climb all the way to the fifth seed in the Western Conference ahead of the playoffs.

While Dallas’ defensive improvements can be accredited for helping Dallas surge from play-in territory to nearly the fourth seed in the West, Luka Doncic was the consistent tide that kept this Mavericks team afloat all season, particularly when Kyrie Irving was missing a decent amount of contests early on in the season.

The Mavericks were riddled with injuries not just to Irving early on in the season, but to various role players as well such as Josh Green and Maxi Kleber. The Mavericks also had yet to acquire P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, as Dallas was league-average from a defensive standpoint up until the trade deadline.

This put Luka Doncic in a tough position to try and will the Mavericks to some wins during Dallas’ December-January stretch, and while Dallas certainly didn’t have the cleanest slate during that time period, Doncic was essential in carrying the Mavericks’ offense enough to uphold an above .500 record at 16-15 through those two months.

Doncic was putting together some herculean efforts during this time span, most notably when he scored an NBA season-high 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks on January 26. While the Mavericks play-style has since shifted from a heliocentric style that required Doncic to carry a heavy burden with Irving missing significant time early on to a more balanced attack, it is without debate that the Mavericks wouldn’t have even had a chance at the fifth seed if it weren’t for Doncic’s heroics this season.

8. Had best defensive season of his career

Luka Doncic’s improvement on the defensive end has been noticeable dating back to parts of the last few seasons, but he’s played by far the most consistent defense of his career this season for the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic has been moving his feet better in space this season, allowing him to use his weight advantage against opposing ball-handlers in dribble-drive scenarios far more often. This is yet another instance of how Doncic’s conditioning over the summer has helped him improve within the margins, as he’s been able to handle a much great workload defensively this season.

The stats back this up too, as Doncic has an individual defensive rating of 112.6 this season. For reference, Boston’s Jaylen Brown finished the season with a defensive rating of 112.2, and Brown is likely considered a far better defender than Doncic amongst most analysts and talking heads.

Doncic is by no means an elite defender and he likely never will be as he’d have to exert too much energy when you take into consideration the freight of responsibilities he has to take on for Dallas’ offense. However, with Doncic having an elite defensive performance against the Clippers in Game 2 of the first round, the national media is taking notice that Doncic is no pushover on the other end of the court.

Doncic projects as an above-average defender per other metrics as well, as he’s proving that he can become a complete player to help his team win games, even if he still has the occasional sluggish defensive performance. With Doncic defending at an above average clip, it’s ludicrous to see that he didn’t get more first-place MVP votes from media members.

7. Blended seamlessly with co-star Kyrie Irving despite doubters

The Dallas Mavericks offense has long revolved around Luka Doncic as the sole initiator of most offensive actions for the past few seasons, but with the Mavericks adding Kyrie Irving at last season's trade deadline, the move begged the question from many basketball talking heads and analysts of whether or not two ball dominant superstars could play with one another.

Many analysts also critiqued Irving for some of the issues that he dealt with off the court and synopsized that Irving would bring bad vibes to the Mavericks locker room. However, Irving has been a consummate professional both on and off the court ever since he's arrived in Dallas, completely negating those narratives. Doncic has done a phenomenal job of dispelling these narratives as well, as he's formed a strong bond with Irving off the court and has found even more chemistry with Irving on the court.

Doncic and Irving have been involved in far more direct offensive actions with each other this year, and both of them have a great sense of when the other player has a chance to exploit a mismatch and one of them may need to differ. Many thought that the heliocentric style of the Mavericks offense led by Doncic would cause chaos with Irving's insertion, but it has only proved to pay extreme dividends for the Mavericks because of how willing and adaptable Doncic and Irving are toward making their pairing work offensively.

Doncic has completely squashed narratives that he can't play with another star player or that he's selfish and can't take accountability, which should have weighed heavier for some voters who critiqued him for that very same narrative before the season started.

6. Absurd efficiency from 3-point land

Perhaps the most surprising development this season for Mavericks fans has been the fact that Luka Doncic has improved his 3-point percentage. Doncic has never been a player that is consistently getting wide-open looks off the catch, so when one takes into consideration the degree of difficulty of most of his 3-point attempts, it’s a lot more understandable as to why Doncic has only shot above 35 percent from distance once in his career until this season.

Doncic also takes a much higher volume of 3-pointers compared to most star players, but perhaps most impressive is the fact that Doncic increased the amount of 3-pointers he’s taking this season whilst still upping his percentage. On an average of 10.6 attempted 3-pointers a game this season, most of which are contested step-backs, Doncic shot an astounding 38.2 percent from distance this season.

Doncic’s increased conditioning this season certainly boded well toward his 3-point shotmaking in late-game situations as well, as he shot 40.9 percent from downtown in what NBA.com deems as clutch scenarios. As we all know, Doncic’s 3-point shooting percentage has fallen off dramatically ever since the playoffs started, as the lift on Doncic’s shot seems to have regressed from when he was healthier during the regular season.

Luckily for Doncic, the playoffs don’t count toward regular season statistics despite how badly the Mavericks need Doncic to start shooting at a better clip if they want to win their series versus the Thunder.

Hopefully Doncic’s 3-point shooting improvement is replicable in these playoffs and beyond this season, but even if it isn’t, Doncic still had one of the greatest 3-point shooting seasons in league history when you take into consideration the volume of shots he’d taken as well as the immense difficulty of most of them.

5. Ability to play through pain and injuries

If you aren’t watching the Dallas Mavericks on a game-by-game basis, you probably wouldn’t have realized that Luka Doncic is one of the toughest players in the entire NBA. Doncic suited up for 70 of Dallas’ 82 regular season contests, all the while coming off of a summer where he had gotten virtually no rest when one takes into account that Mavericks training camp started very shortly after Slovenia’s 2023 World Cup run.

Getting into better playing shape to handle his laborious workload was a huge point of emphasis for Doncic last summer, and it’s certainly something that has contributed to his sustainability on the court this season for the Mavericks.

There have been numerous times throughout the regular season that Doncic has been listed on the injury report for the Mavericks, yet more often than not he ends up playing whilst posting a ridiculous stat-line. It has been evident per the eye test that Doncic has played in some noticeable pain and discomfort throughout many points this regular season as well, as him battling through his current knee sprain in the playoffs is a microcosm of the toughness that Doncic has exhibited for the Mavericks all season long.

Doncic did all of this while nearly leading the league in minutes with 37.5 minutes played per game on average this season, and while no fans want to see Doncic get hurt in a meaningless regular season game because of being over-extended, it’s hard to argue that any player in the league has shown as much toughness and willpower to stay on the court while still performing at an extremely high level as Doncic has this season.

4. Was extremely close to averaging a triple-double

While Luka Doncic didn’t quite cross the same bridge that the likes of Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook have in terms of averaging a triple-double for a whole season, Doncic came awfully close with averages of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game to wrap up the regular season for the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic’s assists average was by far the highest mark of his career this season, and he only averaged more rebounds once in his entire career, which came in the 2019-20 season when he averaged 9.4 rebounds per game. Doncic being able to increase his assist number can certainly be attributed to having better teammates this season on offense, but it’s still extremely impressive when one takes into consideration that Doncic increased his productivity in nearly every other facet of the game as well.

Doncic definitely has the ball in his hands quite a bit, as there have been times throughout this season where he’s been the sole source of the Mavericks offense. However, with Doncic increasing his total offensive production and shooting efficiency, being able to become an even more dynamic passer is nothing short of amazing.

Doncic may have not averaged a triple double, but he averaged a few more points than both Robertson and Westbrook did in the seasons they averaged triple-doubles, proving that this season from Doncic was truly a statistical anomaly. Doncic’s unrivaled control of the game speaks to how he was able to nearly accomplish an insane feat, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Doncic average a triple-double in a season at some point in his NBA career.

Voters could have certainly been more generous to Doncic for almost pulling off this feat, as Russell Westbrook won an MVP for averaging a triple-double in the 2016-17 season despite the Thunder only being the sixth seed.

3. Played at a far better pace this year

As has been talked about many times in this article already, Luka Doncic’s approach to his strength and conditioning last summer helped him improve marginally in many different facets of the game. While Doncic’s defense has been the most notable benefactor of his newfound playing shape, the pace at which the Mavericks have played with this year has also highlighted this.

The Mavericks finished with the seventh best pace in the entire NBA this season at 100.6, which is in large part due to Doncic being able to run more in transition opportunities as well as his increased willingness to find quick outlet passes to catalyze a Mavericks fast-break. Doncic has also done a better job at starting offensive actions in the half-court earlier in the shot clock this year, as his improved conditioning has made possessions where he nearly wastes eight seconds dribbling past half-court a far less frequent occurrence compared to previous seasons.

Doncic has even played off-ball more often to start Mavericks’ offensive possessions this season, especially after the trade deadline, which goes to show just how committed Doncic is toward increasing the tempo of the Mavericks’ offense. The Mavericks may never lead the league in pace with Doncic spearheading their roster, as Dallas doesn’t quite have the athletic portfolio of a young OKC Thunder or Orlando Magic team for instance.

However, Doncic’s conditioning and willingness to increase pace have led to Dallas being one of the 10 fastest teams in the league, something that shouldn’t be an afterthought when bringing up Doncic’s MVP candidacy.

2. Toned down complaining to refs throughout the season

Ever since he stepped into a Dallas Mavericks uniform, it’s been readily apparent that Luka Doncic isn’t the most easy going when it comes to dealing with the officiating of NBA referees. Doncic has routinely argued no-calls and calls going against him throughout the course of his career, and it hasn’t led to the best track record with officials.

It’s without doubt that Doncic has a viable case in terms of being correct a lot of the time when arguing with officials, as Doncic’s play-style naturally warrants that he’ll draw plenty of fouls from opposing players. However, this can’t excuse that Doncic complains to officials as often as he has in the past, as it disrupts the flow of the game oftentimes and consistently leads to Doncic being slow to get back on defense.

Doncic has taken steps in the right direction though, and it’s been evident as of late. Doncic stood pat on 13 technical fouls for more than a month to close the regular season, as it seems like Doncic has matured in the sense of understanding how his complaining to referees adversely affects the Mavericks on the court. While Doncic was still complaining too often to officials early on in the season, his improvement toward being more even-keeled with officials was one of many improvements that he made in an MVP-caliber season

1. Stepped up as a vocal leader in the Dallas locker room

For a 25-year-old who doesn't speak English as his primary language, Luka Doncic has done an excellent job of stepping up as a vocal leader for the Dallas Mavericks this season. This development has been evident through the amount of Mavericks players and coaches that have spoken of Doncic's leadership this season, as Doncic has evolved into the true figurehead of the Mavericks in all facets this season.

Doncic being able to step up in this capacity has been huge for instilling confidence in his teammates as well as building chemistry off the court, a complete far fetch from when Doncic and former teammate Kristaps Porzingis were having chemistry issues with one another a few years ago. This speaks to Doncic's maturity, as he has a playful nature to his personality but is also exhibiting that he can be an assertive vocal leader for the Mavericks at the same time.

It's clear that Doncic is trying to get his teammates notoriety as he accredited much of his success this season to them, and it seems like he has never been happier leading a roster than he has this season in Dallas.

With Doncic's ascension into becoming a leader both on and off the court for the Mavericks this season, it will only make them a more attractive destination for potential free agents and trade targets in the future, as Doncic is dispelling narratives that players don't enjoy playing with him through his leadership this season.

For more on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks as we trek further along in Dallas' playoff run, stay tuned as we will have you covered.