For the better part of three months, Luka Doncic has been under the microscope of the NBA media.
He wasn’t fit enough, then got in shape, but then got out of shape again.
His defense was awful. He couldn’t play with LeBron James. He would never win a championship with his attitude. He’s not a top-three or even top-five player in the NBA anymore.
Charles Barkley, one of the most prominent pundits in the NBA today, has publicly slammed the Lakers more times than they’ve lost this season, putting his foot down that neither Luka nor the Lakers can be considered true contenders in the NBA.
And while Doncic was leading the league in scoring throughout the ups and downs of the NBA season, this past week has been a transformation for the Slovenian superstar.
Not only should he be considered a candidate for the NBA MVP, but he should be second and vying for the prestigious award alongside the current king of the NBA in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The last time Los Angeles saw a streak of games like Doncic is currently on was two decades ago, when Kobe Bryant was dragging a truly dreadful Lakers team across the line in games where he needed to score over 40 points to win.
On Thursday, in a back-to-back situation, where he put up 40 points against the Houston Rockets, Doncic dropped 60 in Miami to help the Lakers defeat the Heat.
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Here are Doncic’s past five games: 51 points (Bulls), 30 points (Nuggets), 36 points (Rockets), 40 points (Rockets), and 60 points (Heat).
Not only is he scoring in droves, but it’s efficient, Doncic shooting 18-30 from the field in the win against Bam Adebayo and the Heat, who scored 83 points a little over a week ago.
Even above the offensive output, his defense has been the best it’s been in years. Doncic is working on the defensive side of the ball, finding steals and putting in the effort that analysts had begged him to show early in the season.
It’s time to stop looking for holes in a player who is on one of the greatest runs we’ve seen from a single player of this 21st century.
Instead of looking at what Doncic can do better, the narrative should be what Doncic can’t do at the moment with the red-hot Lakers.
20 years ago, every night seemed to tease a potential historic moment for Kobe with the Lakers. And following Doncic’s back-to-back games against the Rockets and the Heat, we’ve reached that territory with the only player who can stop Oklahoma City’s ace from winning another MVP trophy.
