DHJ Quick Take
- Redick’s Disappointment: The Lakers head coach expressed his frustration that Luka Dončić was left off the three-man finalist list for the 2025-26 NBA MVP award, stating firmly that Dončić deserved a spot.
- The “Media Momentum” Factor: Redick attributed the snub to a lack of narrative backing, suggesting that the award is often influenced by media-driven energy that never materialized for Dončić this season.
- Team Performance vs. Individual Greatness: While acknowledging the Lakers “underperformed” for a stretch, Redick noted that Dončić’s elite play—including a Player of the Month win—should have outweighed the team’s early-season struggles.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is “disappointed” Luka Dončić is not a 2025-26 NBA MVP finalist.
Redick, who has a close relationship with Dončić, blamed “media momentum” for Dončić’s MVP snub.
The 2025-26 NBA MVP finalists are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
“Disappointed,” Redick said. “I think he deserved to be there and I think all three guys that did end up being finalists had strong cases. A lot of this unfortunately is media momentum. Sometimes a team — I guess we underperformed even though we didn’t have any expectations coming into the year — but I guess we underperformed for a couple months despite him getting Player of the Month one of those months. The media momentum just never got built.”
Dončić led the NBA in total points and points per game in his first full season with the Lakers. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists a night while shooting 47.6% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 78.0% from the free-throw line.
The Lakers went 43-21 when Dončić played. The former Dallas Mavericks star recorded 34 double-doubles, eight triple-doubles, 14 40-point games, one 50-point game and one 60-point game.
A future Hall of Famer, Dončić is currently recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. He suffered the injury on April 2 against the Thunder. The six-time All-Star is back from Spain after receiving injections in his injured hamstring to promote healing and expedite his return to the court.
As of this writing, the Lakers are up 2-0 against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. Dončić is not expected to play in the Rockets series, but he could play in the second round should Los Angeles beat Houston.
If the Lakers defeat the Rockets in the first round, they will face the winner of the Thunder-Phoenix Suns series in the second round. OKC, the defending NBA champion, is widely expected to get past Phoenix easily.
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