Luka Doncic stats: The Dallas Mavericks prodigy has made an MVP-worthy start to the season
Twenty-three-year-old Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic is off to a blistering hot start this season. Through four games, Doncic is currently averaging 36.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 50.0% shooting. Doncic has scored 32-plus points in every game so far.
He is also currently coming off his best game of the season, a 41-point triple-double in Thursday night’s 129-125 overtime win against Brooklyn. As a result, Doncic’s impressive start now has many fans and analysts buzzing about his chances to win his first career MVP award.
Luka Doncic through 4 games;
41 PTS - 11 REB - 14 AST
37 PTS - 11 REB - 7 AST
32 PTS - 7 REB - 10 AST
35 PTS - 9 REB - 6 AST
He’s different 🔥 https://t.co/S6qjL489ik
Luka Doncic's dominant play has also earned him praise from Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Following the Nets’ loss to Doncic and the Mavericks, Irving spoke about how Doncic just plays the right way and maximizes all his abilities.
“He plays at an incredible pace. And he makes great decisions, most offense goes through him. And he takes his time a lot and gets to the free-throw line. So he maximizes on all the rules of the game of basketball, and uses it to his advantage,” Irving said.
Luka Doncic carved up the Brooklyn Nets’ 30th-ranked team defense all game on Thursday. Not only did he score for himself, he consistently found the open man on the perimeter, which helped the Mavs to shoot 20-for-40 (50.0%) from three.
This included Doncic setting up teammates Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Reggie Bullock for three big game-deciding threes in overtime. Following the game, Doncic’s teammates spoke about his greatness.
Mavs big man Maxi Kleber highlighted how Luka Doncic always makes the big shots, while also always making the right plays.
“Obviously, Luka is probably the best guy to make tough shots and make shots when they count, but he also knows when to make the right basketball plays,” Kleber said.
“And especially when we came into overtime, they were like really aggressive with him and he made the right play, I don’t know, three or four times in a row. We just got hot and made all those shots,” Kleber continued.
Mavs guard Tim Hardaway Jr. also spoke about how the team just has to be ready to make shots because they know Doncic will find them.
“We’re just trying to do the best we can to make his job a lot easier out there on the floor when he gives the ball up, and the only way you can do that is knock down shots and take them with confidence and make a play,” Hardaway Jr. said.
Luka Doncic has eyes in the back of his head twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/aSQCix2TDY
Following the game, Luka Doncic is now the first Mavs player to start the season with four 30-plus point games. He is also the 10th player in NBA history with three 40-point triple-doubles. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks improved to 2-2 on the season. Their next game will be on Saturday at home against the 2-3 OKC Thunder. In that game, Doncic will look to extend his 30-point game streak and get the Mavs above .500.
Where does Luka Doncic rank in updated MVP odds?
It’s not just fans and analysts buzzing about Luka Doncic’s 2022-23 MVP chances though. Doncic has also moved up to first place in basically all the major MVP betting odds. Prior to the season, there was a consensus top three in MVP odds of Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, Embiid has currently fallen in many odds due to the Philadelphia 76ers' 1-4 start. As of now Doncic’s biggest competition still appears to be Antetokounmpo as the Milwaukee Bucks currently sit at 3-0, following Antetokounmpo’s dominant start to the season.
Vegas Insider, for example, has Doncic at +400 followed by Antetokounmpo at +600. Sports Betting Dime also has Doncic at +390 followed by Antetokounmpo at +650. Other players who have moved up in most odds include Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum and Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant.
However, Doncic appears to be the clear-cut favorite early on in the season. He also has the narrative going for him, considering he hasn’t won an MVP before and he’s playing on a team without any other stars.
So at this point, the biggest threat to Doncic’s MVP hopes are probably his health and the Mavericks' team success. But if Dallas finishes as a top-five seed with Doncic dominating all season, he’s looking like a safe bet to bring home the award.