With just two days of the NBA season in the books, it’s far, far too early to be making predictions on regular-season awards. As we have seen time and time again, it’s not really so much about how players start the season as it is about how they end it.
But on the set of First Take Thursday morning, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith showed no hesitation in naming his pick for the 2022-23 NBA MVP.
Stephen A. Smith Reveals His Pick For MVP This NBA Season
In Stephen A. Smith’s mind, Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is primed to win the award based on his level of play and his international brand. Here’s what he said on the show, in a debate with Kendrick Perkins.
“The question is who is gonna win MVP this year. I’m of the mindset it’s gonna be Luka Doncic,” said Smith. “I just believe that. I mean, I believe he’s that brother. I believe he’s big-time. And unlike Ja Morant, as phenomenal and great as Ja Morant is, I think it’ll be a close race between them two and others. But Luke’s an international figure. He’s not from here. And I think that combined with his game obviously is gonna play a huge, huge role in some of those votes he’s gonna end up getting. Dallas knocked on the door last year in getting to the Conference Finals, even though they ended up losing that game last night, they had it well in hand. We know what they are capable of now. I think the Christian Wood pickup was good for them as well.”
Stephen A. made a pretty compelling case for Luka, who has already been in the MVP discussion several times. And while Kendrick Perkins is also high on Luka, he chose to pick Ja Morant as his MVP instead.
“I was talked about when I told the world this guy was a combination of Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and Rajon Rondo. When you talk about his skill set, he’s right there with Kyrie Irving. When you talk about his athleticism, he’s right there with Russell Westbrook. When you talk about his court vision and that playmaking ability, he’s right there with Rajon Rondo.”
🚨 MVP predictions are in 🚨@stephenasmith: Luka Dončić@KendrickPerkins: Ja Morant pic.twitter.com/sOJ99xFUnm
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 20, 2022
No matter who ends up with the MVP this year, neither Luka nor Ja will be focused on pursuing personal accolades, anyway.
For Doncic especially, he’s looking to build upon last season, which would mean securing a trip to the NBA Finals. It’s an ambitious goal for the Mavs, but Luka might just be good enough to pull it off. In his debut yesterday, he put up 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists per game on 43% shooting.
