Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has a real shot of winning his first NBA MVP award this upcoming season based on a recent straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Summer Forecast panel.
According to ESPN, the MVP race is expected to be wide open again this upcoming season. However, they had Luka Doncic at the top of their rankings after leading the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011 last season.
The Slovenian guard received 61 points (48 percent of first-place votes), while last year’s winner Nikola Jokic had 40 points (10 percent of first-place votes). Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Giannis Antetokounmpo round out the Top 5 with 37, 15, and 13 points, respectively.
Luka Doncic came close to winning his first NBA MVP last season, finishing third in the voting ballot behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. The Dallas Mavericks guard received four first-place votes, 36 second-place votes, 50 third-place votes, and eight fourth-place votes for a total of 566 points.
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most proactive teams this summer, with the additions of Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, and Spencer Dinwiddie, giving Luka Doncic more weapons to contend next season.
The hope for the Dallas Mavericks is that Klay Thompson will return to his best form after he saw his numbers dip last season to 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 43 percent shooting from the field.
“We believe that we’re building a championship team. Being a veteran, his experience, being in big games, and then being able to play both ends. We truly believe he’s going to be able to make big shots and have fun, but we’re gonna lean on him because he’s one that’s won a championship. We’re going to need his advice and leadership throughout this journey,” Jason Kidd said about Klay Thompson via Dallas Morning News.
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