Since returning from a right wrist injury on Dec. 1, Luka Doncic is averaging 28.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
He sat out Thursday’s game with a heel injury, but make no mistake — Luka Dončić has a firm foot on a rung of the MVP Ladder and climbing.
The Kia MVP Ladder committee welcomes the Dallas Mavericks guard to the top-5 family, a reward for a strong December where he’s averaging 30.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. He’s also shooting 52% overall and 43% on 3-pointers this month as Christmas Day approaches. He and the Mavs will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 25, the team Dončić bounced from the playoffs last spring.
Otherwise, the ladder remains pretty much unchanged. After Christmas Day, the next major checkpoint will be All-Star Weekend, followed by the home stretch of the regular season.
Maybe by then, we’ll learn whether this is cemented as a two-man race among former MVPs who currently command the top two spots, or someone blasts through to win his first award. Someone such as Luka?
Setting the stage this week: The hoop holiday season will be in full effect in Denver and Phoenix, where the Nuggets and Suns play twice — the day before Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day. This of course showcases a pair of ex-MVPs in Nikola Jokić and Kevin Durant. Their teams sink or swim with them; the Suns are 1-9 this season without Durant and the Nuggets’ offensive and defensive efficiency ratings are drastically opposite when “The Joker” rests.
The stat to know: The top three leaders names on our list — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — are each averaging 30-plus minutes a game.
What they are saying: “When you talk about Luka’s ability to have the handprint that he can have on the game in a sense of passing, rebounding, and scoring, he does all three at a very high level.”
— Mavericks coach Jason Kidd on Luka Dončić.
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Last Ladder: No. 1
Season stats: 31.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 9.8 apg
His case: As the regular season approaches the all-important Christmas Day checkpoint, nobody else in the league ranks among the top three in scoring, rebounds and assists. It’s a historic start that still cannot be ignored and gives the ladder edge to “The Joker.”
And Jokić needed a historic start to hold off No. 2 on the ladder, coming off a great weekend spent in Las Vegas where he won a lot of money.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 32.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 6.1 apg
His case: He was the biggest player in the biggest game of the year, the Emirates NBA Cup title match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Typical of his play all season, Antetokounmpo was a giant at both ends of the floor, punishing OKC with downhill drives to the hoop and delivering key defensive stops.
Should he be No. 1? It’s a worthy debate, for sure. He’s that close. And maybe another solid week will put him over the top before the calendar flips to 2025 and the MVP Ladder takes an even more serious turn.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last Ladder: No. 3
Season stats: 30.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.3 apg
His case: Shai hauled the Thunder to the Emirates NBA Cup Championship; in the quarterfinals, he outplayed the Mavericks and Dončić, who got the best of him in last year’s playoffs.
Shai had his worst game of the season in the Cup Championship. That said, his season should hardly be confined to one sour night.
4. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Last Ladder: No. 6
Season stats: 28.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 8.2 apg
His case: Dončić rebounded from a sub-par showing against Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds with one of the most impactful performances of anyone this season: a 45-11-13 line in a shootout win vs. the Warriors on Sunday.
Since returning from a wrist injury a few weeks ago, Dončić is averaging more than 30 points (on more efficient shooting), 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals per game. That latter number is important because it shows some growth defensively, which until lately was an issue with him.
5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 28.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 5.5 apg
His case: He dropped 34 points on the Bucks last week to temporarily put a halt to Milwaukee’s surge, and was the most productive player on a floor shared with Antetokounmpo.
With a mildly competitive upcoming schedule between now and the end of the calendar year, Tatum could supersize his already impressive scoring, rebounds and assists numbers.
The Next 5:
6. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
7. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
8. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
9. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
10. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
And five more (listed alphabetically): James Harden, LA Clippers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers; Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies; Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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