Doncic was ignored to an extent in the NBA MVP discussion early in the season. He is unquestionably in the MVP race now, however. And as Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said earlier in the season, MVPs are won in the second-half of the year.

“I don’t think you’re gonna win the MVP in October, November, or December,” Kidd said in February. “I think it’s more likely you win it in February, March, April, I think he’s (Luka) put himself in a great position to win the MVP.”

So can Luka surpass the superstars ahead of him in the MVP race?

The primary argument against Luka earlier in the year was that Dallas was not among the top teams in the Western Conference. Joel Embiid was the front-runner before he got injured, and Philadelphia was near the top of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Jokic’s Denver Nuggets and Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder are currently fighting for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Mavs are rolling right now, though. Dallas’ recent hot stretch has led to them moving into the No. 6 spot in the West. They are just a few games behind the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 5 and No. 4 spots as well.

If the Mavs continue to climb the standings, the winning argument against Doncic becomes a lot less relevant. Luka has been the driving force behind Dallas’ resurgence, and that is valuable to say the least.

So if the Mavericks can finish within the top six spots of the West and clinch a playoff spot, the argument will be more of a statistical one. Sure, Denver and Oklahoma City are ahead of the Mavs in the standings. But Luka’s impact on winning cannot be ignored.

If you look at the statistics, Doncic is the clear MVP. Doncic holds a substantial lead in points per game with a mark of 34.1. Gilgeous-Alexander is second with 30.8 per outing.

Doncic also leads the Mavericks in assists and is third overall in the NBA with his 9.8 per game. Only Trae Young (10.8) and Tyrese Haliburton (11.2) are ahead of him.

Doncic is Dallas’ point guard and he is still 17th overall in rebounds per game with a mark of 9.0.

Despite a high-usage rate, Doncic has remained consistent and efficient. In fact, he only trails Jokic in individual player efficiency.