Do you remember Luka Doncic‘s early days? As a rookie, the Slovenian was a dominant scorer and showed ‘veteran-like’ glimpses. The Mavs’ offensive leader spent his first three years solidifying his game before taking on the talisman role. However, Doncic has never been the best defender on the floor. To some extent, it always seemed as if there’s a huge gap between his efforts on the defensive end and his production on the scoring end. Regardless, Doncic never failed to deliver and once left a doubtful Celtics coach in awe!

Back in 2021, the Mavs faced the Celtics at home. The game would go down the wire with all eyes on Luka Doncic. With 9.5 seconds left in the fourth, he pulled a stepback triple from his favorite spot to put his team up by three. This game-winner shocked the Boston side’s assistant coach, Evan Turner. In the recent episode of the Club 520 Podcast, Evan recalled the same game, as the former Blazer had second thoughts at first about the Slovenian star.

“Luka kind of going through like his first half like thing, like ‘Bro I don’t know G, this man kind of like lazy, like he’s just not doing enough for me, he whining’. I’m like bro, like he don’t run up the court…”, Turner said. Regardless of a rough start, ET was sure of Luka’s clutch performance. “So then we keep going, said ‘Bro, are you sure he good?’. I said ‘Bro he going to turn it on, he’s really him,'” Turner added. Surely enough, Doncic went on to deliver after burying the long triple to send the Celtics home.

Not to mention, Luka made the game-winner while being double-teamed! The Slovenian finished the game with a double-double, putting up 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting over 47% from the field and going 6-8 from downtown. Three years later, such a stat line is not as surprising coming from him because he has raised the stakes so much higher. He recently ranked third in MVP voting and was one of the favorites to win the MVP title. Now, six years after his draft, Luka Doncic, and the Mavs stand on the title contender’s end. Entering his seventh season, it is about time that the Slovenian finally adds a championship under his name.

Luka Doncic might break an interesting MVP pattern among the legends

The biggest hoopers, who were either as dominant as Luka, or even more, won an MVP title before their first championship. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and even MJ fall in the same category. However, considering how Luka has been putting up top performances, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that there is a chance that Doncic will win his first MVP award and a title in the same year. And why not? The team is all better after Thompson’s addition, who is a 4-time champion himself.

Even the franchise’s minority owner, Mark Cuban, hinted at a tactical shift with the Splash Brother’s entry. “Just standing in the corner and standing in the wings, just catch and shoot from Luka and Ky. Hopefully, his life is gonna be a lot easier,” the Shark Tank investor said. This could also mean that Klay could shift to more a defensive-focused role, covering up for Luka’s weaknesses.

Not only that but Kyrie Irving was part of a historic Finals run eight years ago. Without a doubt, there is a lot of experience on this team when it comes to competing at the highest level. The only thing that remains is the execution.

This will be an important year for the Dallas side, being the second-most favorite team to win it all next season. What are your thoughts on Luka Doncic and the Mavs? Do you think he should’ve won the MVP this year? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.