DHJ Quick Take
- Redick’s Endorsement: Lakers head coach JJ Redick labeled Luka Dončić the “engine” of the team’s success.
- Statistical Dominance: In his first full season with Los Angeles, Dončić is leading the NBA in points and points per game.
- The MVP Race: Despite his league-leading numbers and team success, Dončić expressed frustration over his sliding rank in MVP ladders.
JJ Redick made a powerful case for Luka Dončić as the 2025-26 NBA MVP, calling the Los Angeles Lakers superstar the “engine” behind the team’s dominant season.
The Lakers are in third place in the rugged Western Conference standings and Dončić leads the NBA in points and points per game.
“If we continue to finish the season the way we’re playing right now and he continues to play that way, to me, he is the MVP,” Redick said before the Lakers beat the Washington Wizards on March 30. “I think when we started 15-4, you could have made an argument that he was the MVP then. Well, he’s been the MVP for two of the three segments of the season.
“He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning. Certainly, we have a ton of guys starring in their roles, but he’s the driver.”
In his first full season with the Lakers, Dončić is putting up spectacular numbers. The six-time All-Star is averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 47.6% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 77.6% from the free-throw line.
Dončić is in the MVP race with Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
Dončić and Wembanyama have never won MVP. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander won the award last season and Jokić is a three-time MVP.
It will be fascinating to see who wins MVP this season. Dončić was asked about his MVP case after the Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets on March 27 and the future Hall of Famer expressed confusion about how he hasn’t received more consideration.
“The better I play, the more I go down in rankings,” Dončić said. “So, I don’t know what more I can do.”
Latest NBA News & Rumors At Dallas Hoops Journal
- NBA Insiders Link LeBron James To Lakers, Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers In 2026 Free Agency
- Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić Reacts To Indiana Fever Star Caitlin Clark Calling Him ‘Best Player In The World’
- Zion Williamson Trade Proposal Sends New Orleans Pelicans Star To Brooklyn Nets
- Report: Golden State Warriors Made ‘Determined’ Run At Kawhi Leonard At 2026 NBA Trade Deadline
- Giannis Antetokounmpo To Miami Heat: The 6-Asset Trade Proposal Sending Shockwaves Through The NBA
- Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron, Bronny James Reflect On Making NBA History With First‑Ever Father‑Son Assist
