NBA Insider Says This Player Could Threaten SGA for MVP

As of Tuesday morning, the favorite to win this season’s MVP award is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is currently listed at -450 to take home the award for the second straight season. Victor Wembanyama is the second most likely player to win at +350. 

Despite the numbers, NBA insider Marc Stein thinks that it is Luka Dončić, not Wembanyama, who is the biggest threat to SGA’s MVP case. “I think Luka Dončić is the foremost threat. This Lakers team if they finish 3rd in the West, it’s a massive overachievement that Luka has dragged them too. I don’t think Luka’s case is being looked at properly. First of all, he’s been much better defensively than advertised, but offensively he’s been even more other worldly than he usually is. So I think he’s right there.”

Luka Dončić is currently +3000 to grab his first MVP award. That means he is very unlikely to win the MVP. However, his statistics do show a clear case as one of the best players in the league. 

Luka is averaging 33.7 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game this season. He’s shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from three. SGA is averaging 31.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Luka has him beat in every major statistical category. SGA, however, is shooting a wildly efficient 55.3% from three and 38.2% from three. 

Luka’s counting stats are much more impressive, but SGA is favored over him for two main reasons: defense and team success. SGA is miles better than Luka on defense, and his team is on pace to win 64 games. That makes his MVP case much more impactful.