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The NBA has announced that Nikola Jokic has been awarded his third MVP award, as he beat Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the title. The Denver Nuggets center re-claimed his throne as the league's best player after missing out on the award last season.
But there are a few who believe that the Dallas Mavericks star Doncic is deserving of the award. It's hard to not look at where Doncic was better and why he was the better choice to win MVP.
Also read: Luka Doncic ranks Mavs teammate among top 3 perimeter defenders in NBA ahead of Mavericks vs Thunder
5 reasons why Luka Doncic should have won MVP
#5 Top 3 in points, assists, and threes
Doncic is a lethal offensive weapon for the Mavs. With him on the floor, there's a guarantee that he'll get his team going. Aside from scoring, Doncic also moves the ball well with his accurate passing and high basketball IQ.
For the 2023-24 season, Doncic had the most points in the league. He's one of seven players who reached the 2,000-point mark this season with 2,370 points. His passing has been excellent, as he finished third in the league with 686 assists for the season. The Mavs star also finished second in made threes this season with 284.
#4 Most 40-point games
The All-Star guard has never failed to impress the fans with his natural ability to score. For this season, the Slovenian star had the most 40-point games in the NBA, with 13.
Trailing him is his former backcourt mate, Jalen Brunson, who finished his 2023-24 campaign with 11 40-point games. Former MVP Joel Embiid also had high-scoring performances this season, despite missing a significant amount of games. For Jokic, he only had three 40-point games this season.
#3 Led the league in 30-point triple-doubles
All-around players are important in the league nowadays. Both Doncic and Jokic are considered all-around players since they can easily nab a triple-double. The Mavs star took it to another level this season as he increased his scoring despite maintaining his status as an all-around star.
The season finished with Doncic as the league leader in 30-point triple-doubles. He had 16 for this season, which is a testament to how lethal the four-time All-NBA player is on the floor. Jokic finished second this season with 11.
#2 First NBA player to average 33-9-9
There are a ton of records that Luka Doncic could break in the span of his career in the NBA. For this season, he set the record for being the first player in league history to average 33 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
Doncic's final numbers for this season were 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. This season was a testament to how Dallas' star has matured on the basketball court as a leader.
#1 Most points in the league this season
Doncic has the most points (average and totals) this season. What's impressive is that he had incredible efficiency from all areas on the floor.
The Mavs star shot 48.7% from the field and 38.2% from the three-point area. He was also reliable from the free-throw line as he knocked down 78% of his shots. These metrics clearly show that Doncic can do more on the court and with good efficiency.
Also read: Luka Doncic makes history despite being sick as he racks up 1000 career playoff points
