Kia MVP Ladder: Scoring barrage helps Luka Dončić move to No. 2

There was pressure on his shoulders and sweat on his brow Thursday, with 15 seconds left and his team comfortably up nine points. Pressure? How is that possible, you ask?

Luka Dončić was at the free-throw line and needed to make one of two for 60 points against Miami. After he missed the first shot, the Los Angeles Lakers bench stood collectively and somewhat alarmingly, while a few feet away, LeBron James laughed nervously and yelled encouragement. Dončić smiled.

Of course, Dončić made the second shot to secure the 60-piece. Was there any doubt? He’s having that type of season, and more impressively, delivered that type of 48-hour stretch.

Just the night before, the league’s leading scorer dropped 40 points on the Rockets in Houston. The Lakers then boarded a jet and, after losing an hour to the time zone change, didn’t get to their Miami hotel until around 5 a.m. the morning of the Heat game.

No matter. Dončić had just enough gas in the tank to make that free throw and cap an incredible back-to-back performance with 100 points along with 16 rebounds, 13 assists and six steals over 76 total minutes.

Let there be no debate regarding these descriptions and designations for Dončić: He’s a brilliant offensive player, capable of leading a team to the NBA Finals — which he has done before — and the kind of rare talent that is equally great and entertaining as well.

In due time, there’s also this about Dončić: He’ll either win at least one Kia MVP award or, if he doesn’t, it’ll probably be due to misfortune.

Dončić has been thick in the Kia Race to the MVP for the last four seasons. His numbers and the success of his teams, first the Dallas Mavericks, now the Los Angeles Lakers, stand as unimpeachable evidence. There’s simply no scenario where Dončić is looking up at more than a handful of players, if that, in this league.

Here’s where the misfortune might dictate his MVP chances: Dončić’s timing isn’t the best.

He’s 27 years old and entering the second stage of his prime, still looking for his first MVP. His early prime was spent competing with Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the award. Those two have four MVPs together and Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning winner, is leading the MVP Ladder this week in his bid for back-to-back MVPs.

And now, along comes Victor Wembanyama. He’s 22 and ready to compete with Dončić for the award over the next decade.

This, of course, doesn’t mean Dončić won’t win — he could get multiple MVPs. It’s just meant to explain the level of competition he’s up against, both now and in the near future. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić are already legends and Wembanyama is on that track.

Something else to keep in mind: With the MVP award relying to a degree on team success in the minds of voters, how the Lakers retool once LeBron James retires could impact Dončić’s chances — especially assuming the San Antonio Spurs with Wemby will be perennial 50-60-game winners and Oklahoma City as well with Gilgeous-Alexander.

But that’s all future forecasting. Dončić is in a good place today — actually, over the last two impressive days. He heard MVP chants — in Miami! As it stands now, Dončić is a high riser on the MVP Ladder, checking in at No. 2 here in the crucial home stretch.

Setting the stage this week: The Hawks are squawking along with an 11-game win streak and this is quite reflective of the season being enjoyed by Jalen Johnson (No. 7), who should make an All-NBA team. Most of their wins this month were courtesy of poor or slumping teams, but Johnson will be tested in the coming week by Kevin Durant and the Rockets, then the Pistons, then Jaylen Brown and the Celtics to close out March.

The stat to know: Johnson is averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Jokić, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson averaged that over a full season. And Johnson is second to Jokić in triple-doubles this season. 

What they are saying: “He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now. I know it’s not being talked about enough, but I’m gonna talk about it … I think the way he’s navigated this season, he’s done a fantastic job leading this group.” — Lakers coach JJ Redick on Dončić. 

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 1 ↔️
Season stats: 31.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists

His case: Steady and sure, Gilgeous-Alexander’s level of play hasn’t dipped since opening night. No one this season has surpassed his consistency and efficiency — he’s shot 52% or better overall in all but one month.

The icing is the record 20-point streak. It is his signature and defines him completely — a scoring machine who uses it to uplift his team. The streak is now at 130 straight games. His defense remains solid as well; he has seven steals in his last two games. His 40-point takedown of Orlando three nights ago followed a 35-point, 15-assist, nine-rebound masterpiece against Denver.

2. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

Last week’s ranking: No. 4 ⬆️
Season stats: 33.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists

His case: These last two scorching weeks by Dončić can compare with the best two weeks this season of anyone on the list. And his might be better if you apply the context — against quality teams (Knicks, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Heat, Rockets twice) and as the Lakers attempt to lock in a top-four seed and home-court advantage for the playoffs. In that span he has a 60-pointer, a 50-pointer, a 41-pointer, 31- and 30-point triple-doubles and big shots to help the Lakers win 11 of their last 12 games.

Oh — and defense! Dončić has leveled up on that side of the floor. They don’t have this late success without him sprucing that part of his game. This combination is contributing to his generous leap on the ladder.

3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Last week’s ranking: No. 2 ⬇️
Season stats: 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocks

His case: On Thursday, Wembanyama once again rose to the occasion for the Spurs, who’ve lost only once with him in the lineup since February 1. This robust stretch continued when Wembanyama isolated in the final few seconds against Phoenix and dropped a pull-up 15-footer for the winning basket. The hoop sent the Spurs to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 — if there was any doubt as to where they were headed.

He has four double-doubles in his last five games and in March has scoring games of 39, 38 and 34 twice, reflective of his expanding offensive game. Coupled with his dominant defense and the Spurs’ winning stretch, Wembanyama has more than stamped his place on the ladder.

4. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 3 ⬇️
Season stats: 28.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.5 assists

His case: He continues to average a triple-double this late in his 10th season, a remarkable stretch of multitasking, all done at a high level. Joker could become the first player in history to lead the league in rebounding and assists in the same season, all while likely finishing in the top seven in scoring as well.

His turnovers have been problematic; he had 10 on Wednesday in a tough loss to the Grizzlies, and the Nuggets have slipped to sixth place in the West. That said, they’re a winning streak away from rising among the top four. With Jokić, that’s definitely possible, especially if the Nuggets get completely healthy.

5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Last week’s ranking: No. 5 ↔️
Season stats: 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists

His case: The Pistons are still the top seed in the East and have been for much of the season. He’s second in the league in assists and top-15 in scoring. He also has 37 double-doubles, more than Luka, more than Jaylen Brown. All told, Cade means so much to a team that’ll either finish as the top seed in the East or perhaps no lower than second.

But that’s not today’s topic, of course. Instead, after suffering a collapsed lung a few days ago, Cade could be on the verge of missing the 65-game threshold for awards. He needs to play four of the remaining 13 games to be considered for Kia MVP and All-NBA spots. Before the ailment, he was certainly a lock for the latter.

The next 5:

6. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics ⬆️
7. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks ⬆️
8. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers ⬇️
9. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves ⬇️
10. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers ⬇️

And five more (listed alphabetically): Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks; Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets; Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers; Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at [email protected]m, find his archive here and follow him on X.