Luka Doncic leapfrogged over Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama to place second behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA’s latest MVP ladder. Doncic’s electric performances last week pushed him a spot just behind the reigning MVP, who is the favorite to retain the award.
Former NFL star Emmanuel Acho, on the “Speakeasy” podcast on Sunday, tossed in his thoughts on the MVP race. The Emmy-winning sports analyst wrote:
“We had no idea how good the Lakers were going to be, so Luka (Doncic) HAS to be MVP.”
Acho explained in the clip:
“Luka Doncic has kept the Lakers as the No. 3 seed and kept the Lakers winning games like the game versus the Denver Nuggets, and the Nuggets are vying for the No. 3 seed. You beat the Rockets back-to-back while the Rockets are vying for the No. 3 seed. To me, that is more significant and more substantial than the Thunder maintaining the status quo.”
According to the former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker, the Thunder were already favorites to defend the championship with with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading them. He added that Kevin Durant joining the Rockets, the No. 2 seed last season, was expected to keep the Rockets good. For him, the Lakers had so many uncertainties until Doncic’s play pushed them to exceed expectations.
This season, Luka Doncic is averaging an NBA-best 33.4 points, 8.4 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Acho said that on nights when Austin Reaves and LeBron James can’t do anything, Doncic has carried the Lakers. For the sports analyst, Doncic deserves the MVP award over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Fans Slam Emmanuel Acho’s Take on Luka Doncic as MVP
Emmanuel Acho’s take on Luka Doncic as the MVP earned reactions from fans. One fan wrote:
“@Lakers 3 games better (46-25) than last year’s record (43-28) = FAR EXCEEDED, @EmmanuelAcho? If that’s the metric, I present to you @spurs, currently (53-18) as opposed to (31-40) at the same juncture 1 year ago. The name is Victor Wembanyama.”
Another fan added:
“Let’s talk Spurs. 2nd seed after a less than 40 win year. lmao.”
One more fan continued:
“How about the Spurs far exceeding expectations, huh?”
Another fan commented:
“The Luka Stans MVP argument is so hilarious because by this logic, why is Luka above Wemby in MVP voting???”
One fan tweeted:
“Ahhhh makes sense now. Took me longer to realize. Fox Sports ended his show for these dumb takes.”
The fans have a point that Acho might want to take note of. If exceeding expectations is the basis, Luka Doncic might not be the MVP. The San Antonio Spurs, who were expected to battle for a play-in tournament spot, have outdone the Lakers.
Behind Wembanyama, the Spurs are 53-18, three games behind the OKC Thunder (56-15) for the No. 1 seed in the entire NBA. San Antonio is seven games ahead of Doncic and Co. in the standings. Wemby is averaging 24.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.0 apg and an NBA-best 3.0 bpg.
While Wembanyama isn’t the offensive force that Doncic is, the Frenchman is the leader of a team with a much better record than the Lakers. Wemby is also the much better two-way player than the Slovenian.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball and college baseball.
