One of the biggest questions raised last season was why Luka Doncic did not get the NBA MVP. The Mavericks star had insane numbers, marvelous ball-handling skills, and brilliant passes that easily made him one of the most dominant forces in the league. This led to the Mavs to the Finals. Yet his application for the Michael Jordan Trophy was rejected. Well, there is no correct theory to answer that. However, former NBA star, Austin Rivers seems to have a solution that could strengthen the Slovenian’s case in the upcoming season besides answering the question.

The former Timberwolves guard joined Pausha Haghighi on The Ringer NBA Show to discuss the potential 2025 MVP candidates. The host brought out some odds from FanDuel and asked Rivers to state what the candidates needed to do to win the title. “The number one best player on FanDuel for the highest should I say, the highest MVP odds is Luka. Last year, he averaged 34-10-9. What does he need to do to get an MVP this year, and is he your front-runner to get it?” asked Pausha. Rivers playfully replied that he could never manage to put those numbers on the scoreboard even once in his decade-old NBA career, let alone averaging that.

“So for Luka to win, it’s a very simple solution. You just have to be a top seed. If we would’ve known you would’ve been on the finals run last year, if we gave that as the end of the season award, he would’ve won MVP,” Rivers claimed. The 32-year-old compared Doncic’s averages with that of OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30-6-6), who finished second in the MVP race last season and stated that one of the reasons Shai ended up above Doncic was because the Thunder was the top-seeded team in the Western Conference.

“Luka last year, if we go off the full body of work from preseason to finals, Luka was the NBA MVP. It’s a regular season award, and his team record was a team that was fighting to get in the playoffs right towards the end of there. That’s why he didn’t win MVP,” Rivers added. “If he was the 3rd seed, 2nd seed, that sh** would have been gift-wrapped. That’s why Shai, whose numbers weren’t as good as his (Doncic’s), was second at MVP voting because his team was winning. Best team in the west. That’s why I thought he should’ve won it.” Rivers does have a valid point. With heavy competition existing in the West, pushing the Dallas Mavericks to the top is too tall of a task for Doncic, and he already has a lot of pressure, as pointed out by an NBA great.

Former NBA champions discuss Luka Doncic being under pressure

Despite receiving injuries in the 2024 playoffs, Luka Doncic carried the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. The Finals series against the Celtics was mostly a one-man show which became an important factor in the Mavs’ downfall. The 25-year-old had an outstanding individual season. However, he had to come back home without the MVP and championship ring. With the 2024-25 season around the corner, the expectation from Doncic is high again. This was discussed during a recent episode of KG Certified. Former Celtics teammates, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett had a difference of opinion regarding this.

They were asked which star player was under the most pressure to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Pierce said, “When we talk about the face of the league? Luka’s name is in that mix. I just feel like it’s him.” To this Garnett instantly responded, “I disagree with P.” Justifying his answer, the Big Ticket stated, “I don’t think Luka under the most pressure to win a championship. He came into the league without a championship team and has overachieved. Lord, he only 25!!!!”

Doncic will be entering his seventh season in the league. So, the scoring champion certainly has a long time left in his tank. However, Pierce’s point cannot be denied as well. Doncic’s superstar image deserves a prestigious title. Now that the Mavs added Klay Thompson to the roster,  this could be Doncic’s season that finally ends Dallas’ wait.