Luka Doncic’s first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers will be watched very closely and his offseason has only increased anticipation for the coming year. With the amazing shape he got into this summer and his outstanding performance for Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, some feel Doncic’s best NBA season to date is on its way.
That is a high bar considering Luka was a All-NBA First Team selection in the five seasons prior to last year when he was limited to just 50 games due to injury. But some feel the Lakers superstar could pick up his first career MVP award as he finished third in ESPN’s NBA Offseason Survey for who will win MVP in 2026:
Who will be the MVP?
Nikola Jokic: 7
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 5
Luka Doncic: 4
Victor Wembanyama: 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1
Anthony Edwards: 1
Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander being the top vote-getters makes sense considering the seasons they had last year and both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets being Western Conference favorites. If Doncic is going to be able to crack that group, the success of the Lakers as a team will play a massive role.
Perhaps a bit more surprising is that Doncic was the lone player to take a vote away in the survey from Nikola Jokic as being the best player in the NBA currently:
Who is the best player right now?
Nikola Jokic: 19
Luka Doncic: 1
The fact that Luka picked up a vote over last year’s regular season and NBA Finals MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander says a lot about how he is viewed around the league. His talent is unquestioned and now with the Lakers he has an even bigger platform to showcase what he can do.
At just 26 years old, Doncic could very well be the best player in the NBA for many years to come and the Lakers star did get a couple votes for who will be the best player in 2030, though he was a distant second to San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama:
Who will be the best player in 2030?
Victor Wembanyama: 16
Luka Doncic: 2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 1
Jayson Tatum: 1
Wembanyama is going to be the obvious choice for this category in any survey given throughout the league as he is a true phenom in every sense of the word and has already established himself as one of the best players in the NBA period. But if Doncic is able to win a championship or two with the Lakers in that timeframe, he won’t care much about not being viewed as the best player in the league.
Lakers fans trolled UConn coach Dan Hurley after Luka Doncic trade
Luka Doncic and Lakers head coach JJ Redick have a great relationship already, but it could have been UConn head coach Dan Hurley with the opportunity to lead this team. And Lakers fans have apparently not let him forget that.
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