Story by
Luka Doncic admits he doesn’t know what’s missing from his game to finally win NBA MVP
- Story by
- Luka Doncic admits he doesn’t know what’s missing from his game to finally win NBA MVP
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Luka Doncic has been in the NBA MVP conversation for years, but even he sounds unsure what more he needs to do to finally win the award.
The stats have never been the problem.
The missing piece has almost always been team position.
Advertisement
Luka Doncic is still searching for the MVP formula
When asked what he thinks he is missing to be a bigger part of the MVP conversation, Doncic gave a response that sounded like it came from years of frustration.
Interviewer: "What do you think you're missing to be a part of that MVP conversation?"
Luka Doncic: "Ehh… I still don't know what I'm missing"
Interviewer: "What do you have left to learn or perfect? Because in basketball, it seems like you've already figured it all out."
Luka Doncic: "I always believe there is room for improvement in everything, so I think that if you improve every year, each summer, you're going to be a great player."
His production explains why the question keeps coming up. Since the 2019-20 season, Doncic has averaged 28.8, 27.7, 28.4, 32.4, 33.9, 28.2, and 33.5 points per game in each season. He has also posted between 7.7 and 9.4 rebounds and between 7.7 and 9.8 assists each year.
Advertisement
The MVP finishes have not matched that consistency: fourth, sixth, fifth, eighth, third, unranked during an injury and trade-disrupted 2024-25 season (didn't qualify due to games played), then fourth again in 2025-26.
Luka Doncic's team record still blocks his MVP path
Team record remains the biggest hurdle. Doncic's best chance may have been 2021-22, when Dallas won 52 games and finished as the No. 4 seed while Nikola Jokic won MVP with a 48-win Denver team missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
His strongest statistical year came in 2023-24, when he averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists, then carried Dallas to the Finals. Jokic won again after Denver finished 57-25 as the No. 2 seed, while Dallas was fifth in the West at 50-32.
Advertisement
The same pattern followed in 2025-26. Doncic led the league in scoring for the Lakers , but a 53-win season and No. 4 seed left him behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Jokic and Victor Wembanyama in the voting.
That is why the answer may be simple. If Doncic's team wins 55 or more games and lands a top-two seed, his numbers will be almost impossible to ignore. Until then, voters can keep asking him for something he cannot fully control.
Read more:
