In a segment on the ‘Gil’s Arena’ podcast, former NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas revealed his prediction for the league’s next MVP. Arenas believes that the award will go to Luka Doncic, who he believes has a chance to average a triple-double for the Mavericks.
“I don’t want to put this type of pressure on him,” said Arenas. “I’d be surprised if he don’t average a triple-double. If you were averaging that many assists with what you had and now you’ve got a guy who can catch and shoot so some of your assists will come without even any effort. You should average a triple-double. And he will probably be the number one candidate for MVP. He’s going to do something that hasn’t been done for a few years… and that’s average a triple-double.”
Luka will average a Triple Double pic.twitter.com/bWhLtC0QXg
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) September 14, 2024
While it may not carry as much weight as it used to, triple-doubles are not easy to achieve and only players with a well-rounded, multi-faceted game can make a habit out of recording one. In 2023, Nikola Jokic was on track to become the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double through an entire playoff run but he finished just short of the mark with 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists to lead the Nuggets to their first-ever championship.
When it comes to the regular season, Russell Westbrook is the only modern-day player to average a triple-double and he’s done it a whopping four separate times over his career (NBA record). He won MVP for the feat in 2017 after his first triple-double season.
No player since Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in a single season, but Luka came pretty close last campaign. In 70 games, he put up 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting. Alongside Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, he carried the Mavericks to the 5th seed in the West with a 50-32 record.
With Doncic leading the way, the Mavs won three series in the West and made the Finals for the first time since 2011. while it wasn’t enough to get them a championship, Luka is in a good position to set things right next spring.
At 25 years old, and coming off the best season of his career, there’s no reason why Doncic shouldn’t be even better than he was last year and that means his numbers should rise across the board. At the very least, with NBA sharpshooter Klay Thompson added to the mix, Doncic should have an easier time getting assists with a three-point specialist waiting for the ball on the wing.
If Luka can average a triple-double while keeping the Mavericks within the top three in the West, he should be the obvious front-runner for MVP. More than that, the Slovenian superstar will be on track to add his name in the history books as one of the all-time greats.
In just six years of action, Luka has shown us so much already and it’s hard not to heap unfair expectations on him. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how his development progresses and how high his ceiling really goes as a generational NBA talent. Gilbert Arenas clearly thinks Luka has a bright future ahead of him and from what we’ve seen so far, that much is hard to deny.
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