3 reasons why Mavericks star Luka Doncic will win MVP this season

Luka Doncic continually has been thrust into MVP conversations year after year after multiple All-NBA appearances, despite him only being 24 years old. However, Luka's competitive desire to win clearly overrides winning individual accomplishments and accolades, which isn't always common amongst young players in today's game.

Does this mean Luka has less of a chance to win MVP? Of course not, but Doncic will have to stand the test of time amidst an egregious 82-game season that features the newly introduced mid-season tournament as well as potentially the playoffs this upcoming season for Dallas.

Whilst maintaining good health throughout the entirety of the season, Doncic will also need to carry this Mavericks team to a much better record if he wishes to be in MVP conversations at the close of the regular season.

Luka certainly has what it takes from a skill perspective to win MVP, but he hasn't shown a track record of maintaining elite shape throughout an entire 82-game season yet, nor has he been entirely healthy enough to win the award the last couple of seasons.

With resting players being something the NBA is trying to adjust this off-season, as well as them upping the requirements for individual awards, the MVP of the league will have to play at least 72 games this upcoming season.

The writing on the wall for Doncic to win MVP is there, especially after an excellent summer in all facets of life for him. However, the markers that voters typically require when denoting an MVP are not easy to reach, and Doncic will have to excel in all facets of basketball as well once this season kicks off if he wants to finally win MVP.

3. Luka Doncic is coming into this year in the best shape of his life

Luka Doncic has been working hard this summer, and the proof is in the pudding. His personal trainer, Anze Macek, has been very complimentary of Luka’s off-season workouts, as well as how hard he’s been training this summer. Doncic looks much slimmer this summer compared to previous summers.

With Luka poised to enter next season with a different level of explosiveness, speed, and agility, the Mavericks will assuredly reap the benefits of Doncic’s offseason work once the season starts.

Without a doubt, Luka Doncic looked at his peak physically during the 2020 NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. Doncic has added some obvious weight in the last couple of seasons since, but he’s become more savvy and has adapted to other methods of offensive creation at a heavier playing weight in the meantime.

Luka has gotten better with his post footwork as well as his mid-range game in the seasons since the bubble, and with an added layer of athleticism and stamina that will come from a summer filled with training and FIBA World Cup obligations, Doncic is poised to enter the 2023-24 NBA season with the most complete game that he’s had since he’s been in the league.

MVP is obviously a tall task that requires good health and a little luck to win in the NBA, but with Dallas expecting Doncic's dribble-drive game to become more of a weapon, the ripple effects that the offense will get will be extremely beneficial.

Luka will get an increased amount of votes and accreditation from all the media that vote for MVP if he is the coal that makes the engine burn if the Mavericks win more games than expected.