While Luka Doncic is putting up historic numbers, not everyone is convinced he’s the league’s MVP. In fact, one former Laker believes he ‘hasn’t had the impact’ of a surprising rival. When pitted against the likes of OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, and San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, Luka’s credentials fall short. The consensus remains that SGA is the clear favorite for MVP, but he’s closely trailed by Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Detroit Pistons SG Cade Cunningham. The dark horse emerging in this saga is Doncic, who is arguably in the midst of the best phase of his early career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But despite his sensational run, former Laker-turned-analyst Lou Williams still believes that Luka “hasn’t had the impact” of Cunningham, or SGA in the league this season. With the Pistons’ shooting guard now ruled out for the next couple of weeks with a pneumothorax condition, this controversial verdict from Lou reignites the debate over who’s truly leading the team as the season is nearing its end.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m ready to switch it out because, still, I don’t feel like he’s outplayed SGA, Cade, or JB at this point of the season,” Williams said while on Fanduel’s Run It Back show. “Then when you start throwing the ‘Wembys’ in there, and you start throwing the ‘Jokics’ in there…I think he’s right there, like, don’t get me wrong. And so if Cade is going to go out, he’s obviously going to be a shoo‑in. So, you know, I don’t want to make it seem like it’s this huge gap between him and the rest of the guys that’s in this conversation.”

The Slovenian has scored 267 points over his last seven games for the Lakers, elevating them to the third seed in the West, exceeding all expectations. But Williams believes his explosive displays this month do not compensate for seasonal inconsistency.

“I just think he just hasn’t had the impact and done the things that these other guys have done. So it kind of just comes down simply to numbers to me. Not the impact that he’s had, not the way that he’s played, and the way that he’s been able to put the Lakers back in the third seed. None of those things are just more important than it just being a simple numbers game. I don’t think he’s outplayed those guys as consistently as they’ve done over the season,” the 3x NBA Sixth Man of the Year concluded.

The 27-year-old balled out last night in the epic 124-116 over the Houston Rockets. He almost bagged a triple-double, ending the night with 40 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. In doing so, Luka Doncic now has the most 40 points/10 assists games by a point guard in the league spanning the last 60 seasons.

Luka Doncic aiming for maiden NBA MVP title

Averaging near-triple-doubles, Doncic continues to find ways to break defenses and silence home fans across the league and turn the Lakers into championship underdogs. He still dreams of a potential first NBA MVP award in 2025-26. Along with his scores, the European’s play and on-court movements have reignited the MVP debate ahead of frontrunners like SGA and Jokic.

With that said, the former Dallas Mavericks man remains grounded about his individual aspirations. “I just play my game. You never know what’s gonna happen. Obviously, I want it (MVP), anybody in the world that plays basketball wants it, so we’ll see what happens,” Doncic said back in December.

One can’t talk about Doncic without addressing his superstar teammates, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. The Lakers’ offensive trio are the only three starters in the NBA averaging 20+ points this campaign. Doncic and Reaves were balling out earlier this month in the absence of ‘King James’, signalling their on-court chemistry is only getting better the longer they play together.

It seems that HC JJ Redick is helping his players finally find their rhythm, including the under-fire DeAndre Ayton, which, if we’re honest, is an achievement in itself. Regardless of whether Doncic emerges as MVP or not, the Lakers are peaking at the right time, setting themselves up perfectly for the playoffs.