Kia MVP ladder: Luka Dončić enters Top 5 amid torrid stretch

• Get NBA League Pass TODAY

He sat out Thursday’s game with a heel injury, but make no mistake — Luka Dončić has a firm foot on a rung on the MVP ladder and climbing.

The Kia MVP Ladder Committee welcomes the Dallas Mavericks guard to the top-5 family, a reward for a strong December in which he averaged 30.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. match. He’s also shooting 52% overall and 43% on 3-pointers this month heading into Christmas Day. He and the Mavs will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 25, the team Dončić bounced from the playoffs last spring.

Otherwise, the ladder remains largely unchanged. After Christmas Day, the next big checkpoint will be All-Star Weekend, followed by the home stretch of the regular season.

Perhaps by then we’ll find out if this is cemented as a two-man race among former MVPs currently commanding the top two spots, or if someone breaks through to win their first award. Someone like Luka?

Setting the scene this week: The hoop holiday season will be in full effect in Denver and Phoenix, with the Nuggets and Suns playing twice — the day before Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day. This of course features a pair of former MVPs in Nikola Jokić and Kevin Durant. Their teams sink or swim with them; the Suns are 1-9 this season without Durant, and the Nuggets’ offensive and defensive efficiency ratings are drastically opposite when “The Joker” rests.

Statistics to know: The top three leaders on our list – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – each average 30 minutes over a game.

What they say: “When you talk about Lukas’ ability to have the touch that he can have on the game in a sense of passing, rebounding and scoring, he does all three at a very high level.”
— Mavericks coach Jason Kidd on Luka Dončić.

---

1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last ladder: no. 1
Season statistics: 31.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 9.8 apg

His case: As the regular season approaches the all-important Christmas Day checkpoint, no one else in the league ranks in the top three in scoring, rebounding and assists. It’s a historic start that still can’t be ignored, giving “The Joker.”

And Jokić needed a historic start to keep from no. 2 on the ladder, after a great weekend spent in Las Vegas where he won a lot of money.

---

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last ladder: no. 2
Season statistics: 32.7 pages, 11.5 pages, 6.1 pages

His case: He was the biggest player in the biggest game of the year, the Emirates NBA Cup title game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Typical of his play all season, Antetokounmpo was a behemoth on both ends of the floor, punishing OKC with downhill drives to the hoop and making key defensive stops.

Should he be No. 1? It is certainly a worthy debate. He is so close. And maybe another solid week will put him over the top before the calendar turns to 2025 and the MVP ladder takes an even more serious turn.

---

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last ladder: no. 3
Season statistics: 30.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Shai dragged the Thunder to the Emirates NBA Cup Championship; in the quarterfinals, he outplayed the Mavericks and Dončić, who got the best of him in last year’s playoffs.

Shai had his worst game of the season in the Cup Championship. That said, his season should hardly be limited to one sour night.

---

4. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last ladder: no. 6
Season statistics: 28.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 8.2 apg

His case: Dončić bounced back from a sub par against Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds with one of the most influential performances of anyone this season: a 45-11-13 line in a shootout win against the Warriors on Sunday.

Since returning from a wrist injury a few weeks ago, Dončić has averaged more than 30 points (on more efficient shooting), 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals per game. match. The latter number is important because it shows some growth defensively, which until recently was a problem for him.

---

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last ladder: no. 4
Season statistics: 28.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 5.5 apg

His case: He dropped 34 points on the Bucks last week to temporarily halt Milwaukee’s surge, and he was the most productive player on a floor shared with Antetokounmpo.

With a mildly competitive upcoming schedule between now and the end of the calendar year, Tatum could add to his already impressive scoring, rebounding and assists.

---

The next 5:

6. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
7. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
8. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
9. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
10. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat

And five more (alphabetically): James Harden, LA Clippers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers; Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies; Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets.

***

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can email him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

The views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.