This season, Luka Doncic figured heavily in the MVP conversation. However, fans of the LA Lakers superstar were ultimately let down when Doncic failed to make the MVP ballot that consisted of just three names: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokic.
Over at the Lakers camp, head coach JJ Redick was also not pleased with this turn of events. At a media availability prior to Game 2 of the Lakers-Rockets series, Redick offered his speculations on what happened to Doncic’s MVP case.
“A lot of this, unfortunately, is media momentum…I guess we underperformed even though we didn’t have any expectations coming into the year. But I guess we underperformed for a couple months despite him getting Player of the Month one of those months. The media momentum just never got built.”
About a month ago, JJ Redick also wondered out loud if Luka Doncic was being left out of MVP discourse because he “complains to the refs” frequently.
In any case, Doncic’s immediate goal is to ramp up his recovery from his hamstring injury, so that he can finally suit up for the Lakers this postseason. To the Lakers’ credit, they bucked the absence of Doncic and Austin Reaves in Game 1, defending home court against the Rockets by sealing a 107-98 win.
How Far Along Is Luka Doncic in His Recovery? Latest Update on 6x All-Star’s Efforts to Make Comeback in Playoffs
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported on “NBA Today” that Luka Doncic is not progressing in his recovery as quickly as Austin Reaves is.
“The sense around the Lakers is that Austin Reaves is actually the one that’s further along than Luka Doncic in their respective rehab processes…The Lakers are not expecting Luka Doncic to be back in this series. He is out indefinitely.”
If Reaves does come back and Luke Kennard continues to play with confidence, the Lakers may be in good shape after all, as far as their backcourt is concerned.
