Kevin Durant explains why Luka Doncic is a wall on defense
Since entering the league, Luka Doncic has proven to be a special talent, with his play being so impressive that one former MVP couldn't help but sing his praises.
So far this season, the Dallas Mavericks star is putting on an early MVP campaign. Through 11 games, he has been posting absurd averages of 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
Despite only being 23-years-old, Doncic has become a handful for most of the game's top stars. During a recent episode of his "The ETC's With Kevin Durant" podcast, KD opened up on how defending the All-Star guard can make him better.
While speaking about his fellow star, Durant applauded his ability to constantly grow his game. He even jokingly said he watches films of Michael Jordan and then easily goes out and mimics his moves in a game.
"He has a real love for the game, he wants to be great and he spent his game like you tell your fast learner too....Like he probably watching f****** MJ move and just go do it in the game the next night like he I feel like he one of those type of players."
Can Luka Doncic take home the MVP award this season?
Given that Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won the last two MVP's, it's likely that someone new will take home the hardware this season. Luka Doncic entered the year as a favorite, and is backing that up with some stellar play.
While his NBA career is still relatively short, the Dallas Mavericks guard has already cemented himself as a superstar. This begs the question, can he keep this up and run away with MVP this season?
Also read: Stephen A. Smith picks Luka Doncic as his early favorite for MVP race: "Luka Dončić is a bad somebody… He’s something special"
As Kevin Durant mentioned, the former No. 3 pick is a fast learner, allowing him to round out his game. Given that he can get it done on all three levels, it's fair to assume Luka will have the counting stats to get him in the MVP discussion.
The pivotal factor in his case will be where the Mavericks finish in the standings. As we know, team success is a key factor in a player's case. Since the Western Conference is so stacked this season, coming away with a top spot might prove to be difficult.
That being said, if Dallas manages to secure a top-five seed, Luka Doncic might very well add an MVP award to his list of accolades.