Luka Doncic was supposed to be a subplot in this year’s MVP title race, not the one kicking the door back open on a “three-horse race.” While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama have dominated the headlines and mock polls, the Los Angeles Lakers star has quietly put together a season that looks anything but secondary.

Doncic leads the league in scoring at around 33 points per night, driving the Lakers up the Western Conference standings. At some point, the conversation has to expand because the numbers, impact, and daily responsibility make it clear that Doncic belongs on the same MVP tier, not just the next line down.

In his last five games, Luka Doncic is averaging 36.6 points. SGA is averaging 31.7 PPG, Jokic 28.2 PPG, and Wembanyama 24.2 PPG. Doncic bagged a triple-double (30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists) in the 125-127 OT win over the Denver Nuggets last weekend. Despite his on-court dominance in a stacked Lakers team, his name does not feature in MVP conversations, but the Slovenian made no secret of his desire to bag the coveted title.

“I just play my game. You never know what’s gonna happen,” Doncic told reporters back in December 2025. “Obviously, I want it. Anybody in the world that plays basketball wants it, so we’ll see what happens.”

Lakers HC JJ Redick has claimed on multiple occasions that Doncic deserves to be in consideration for the MVP title. Doncic has nine 40+ games this campaign, including a 51-10-9 outing vs the Chicago Bulls (Mar 12). Post February, the 27-year-old has been the engine in LA’s offense, catapulting them from eighth seed to third in the Western Conference standings.

NBA fans react after Luka Doncic’s MVP snub raises questions

Fans from various factions across the league took to social media with growing concern regarding Doncic’s exclusion from the top-three debate. One Lakers faithful was left puzzled at how the media isn’t rating Doncic more seriously, begging the question, “how luka isn’t in this conversation is baffling”.

Luka’s turnover average of four per game is a significant point of criticism. With 225 turnovers, the European player ranks second in the league for this season, just one behind Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, who has 226. With 201 turnovers in 53 games, Jokic is positioned at number nine on the list. But this is not the sole measure to assess his MVP potential.

Lakers reporter and NBA analyst Jovan Buha reasserted why Doncic needs to be in the top-three conversations in an interview earlier this week.

“I think Luka, he has to be in this conversation,” Buha said. “And he cannot be behind the tier Wemby and Jaylen Brown and Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell, and like all those guys, are great. But Luka, I think not only should he be in that mix, I think he should be at the top of the mix.”

Voter fatigue or not, Luka’s displays signify his value. SGA’s efficiency dazzles, Jokic boards, Wemby blocks, but Luka bends games like none. Voters: elevate him now, or regret it come June. He might not get the trophy, but could still be crowned ‘the people’s champion’, and to some, that means more than an overrated popularity title.