The early buzz of the 2025-26 season is how much Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will look to prove himself once the games begin to matter.
Doncic took the entire offseason to prepare his mind and body for the rigors of the upcoming season, and he answered the critics by getting into the best shape of his life. Doncic looked spry and much quicker on both ends of the floor during Slovenia’s run in EuroBasket 2025 and the Lakers are hoping that it carries over into the regular season.
Los Angeles upgraded Doncic’s supporting cast in free agency, adding pieces like Jake LaRavia to bolster the team’s chances of competing for a championship. LaRavia is a versatile forward who can keep an offense moving and he’ll benefit from playing alongside someone like Doncic.
Doncic is being touted around the league as an MVP favorite and LaRavia believes Doncic can win the award.
“He’s talented enough, we have a good enough team to help him get whatever he needs. But as far as talent goes, he has all of it to be able to get MVP,” LaRavia said.
As far as how LaRavia and the rest of the roster can help Doncic in his MVP bid, he said it comes down to winning games.
“Winning games. I think that’s really it,” he said. “We gotta win games, that’s always the standard here. It’s obviously my first year here, but I know what the standard is and we gotta go out there and accomplish that.”
Normally, a player’s MVP case is determined by his individual stats as well as team record so LaRavia is on the right track. Doncic needs to be at his best and put ups numbers, but how many games the Lakers win could ultimately determine whether or not he’ll come away with the award.
While winning his first MVP would be a great achievement, Doncic has been adamant about wanting to win a title as soon as possible. Doncic has won at every level, winning an NBA championship would be much more meaningful compared to any individual award.
Luka Doncic understands how important it is to build chemistry with his teammates off the floor, so he organized a team bonding event with Porsche after a recent practice. Gabe Vincent appreciated the experience and explained why it was important for Doncic to organize it for the team.
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