In a heartbreaking trade, the Dallas Mavericks shipped away their golden boy, Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers for 32-year-old Anthony Davis. Since then, Dončić has made sure Dallas feels the regret.

Now with the Lakers, Luka is averaging 35 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. After finishing the remainder of the 2024–25 season adjusting to Los Angeles and his new team, Dončić has exploded to open the 2025–26 campaign. In his first three games this season, he scored 43, 44 and an eye-popping 50 points while shooting 40% from 3-point range.

It is still early to label an MVP favorite, but if injuries stay out of the picture, there appear to be only three true frontrunners: Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

All three are putting together elite seasons. Gilgeous-Alexander is leading a 20-1 Oklahoma City Thunder team fresh off a championship, averaging 32.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field — often without playing many fourth quarters. Jokić continues to dominate in typical fashion, averaging 29 points, 12.8 rebounds and 11.1 assists on 62.1% shooting while guiding the Denver Nuggets to a 14-6 record.

Dončić, meanwhile, is thriving in his first full season with the Lakers, a franchise that has struggled with early playoff exits in recent years. He leads the league with 35.3 points per game, while also averaging nine rebounds and nine assists — fourth-best in the NBA — and shooting 47.8% from the field. His impact has helped lift the Lakers to a 15-5 start and has them hoping for a deep postseason run.

Unlike Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander, Dončić has yet to win an NBA championship. Oklahoma City also boasts a deep, star-studded roster, and some believe Gilgeous-Alexander was not even the Thunder’s best player during their title run. The MVP award should go to the player whose absence would completely alter a team’s trajectory.

Even without Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder would likely still make a deep playoff run due to their depth. Dončić does have help in Los Angeles — LeBron James and a breakout Austin Reaves, who is averaging 28 points, five rebounds and six assists — but neither comes close to matching Luka’s overall impact. James, now 40 and nearing retirement, has shifted into more of a role-player position, remaining efficient but no longer the dominant force he once was.

Without Dončić, the Lakers would likely be headed for another first-round exit. If Luka continues performing at this level, it will be hard to deny him the MVP. Expect the Lakers not only to reach the playoffs, but to make it to at least the Western Conference semifinals.