The Los Angeles Lakers are better than expected, jumping out to a 10-2 start for an early hold on first place in the Western Conference.
Luka Dončić scored only 32 points in his team's 124-114 win over the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday, dropping his average below 40 to 39.3 per game. He still leads the NBA in scoring by a sizable margin.
With Dončić now in his ninth NBA season, what will it take for him to finally win league MVP?
Outpace the Spurs and Thunder
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The NBA's Most Valuable Player award usually goes to the best player on the best team. Dončić's greatest challengers are Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and current back-to-back winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Before the season, both teams were widely considered the favorites in the West, with the Lakers grouped somewhere among second-tier contenders like the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets.
The Thunder's early spate of injuries bolsters Gilgeous-Alexander's chance at the three-peat, should he lead his team to the top seed in the West despite Jalen Williams (leg), Cason Wallace (shoulder), and Chet Holmgren (knee) being out for months, if not the entire season. (Holmgren should return in early 2027.)
But Dončić's most significant threat is Wembanyama, who is putting up video-game numbers, including 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks in a recent win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers need to finish ahead of the Spurs and Thunder to give Dončić his best shot. That translates to support from head coach JJ Redick, teammates like Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, and the front office to address roster needs as they arise.
Go Get the Scoring Title
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Dončić's 39.3 points per game is almost nine points higher than the NBA's No. 2 scorer, Steph Curry, who is averaging 30.6 with the Golden State Warriors. Right behind him are Wembanyama (30.1) and Gilgeous-Alexander (29.9).
These are the elite of the elite, and Dončić is lapping them. And more importantly, the Lakers keep winning.
Luka-ball got the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, but he finished third in MVP voting that regular season, behind Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets) and Gilgeous-Alexander. He needs to dominate the league individually while his team does the same.
That formula has clicked through the first few weeks of the season; both need to maintain it for the next five months.
For Dončić, the easier of the two is the scoring title. He's an all-time-level talent on offense. But that alone won't be enough, as 2023-24 showed.
Keep Playing Defense
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The physical burden of scoring over 30 points a night has led to some of history's best players taking plays off on defense. Dončić has been guilty of that before, but through the start of the 2026-27 campaign, he's playing some of the best defense of his career.
Instead of hiding him on opposing teams' non-scorers, Redick is asking Dončić to actively guard opposing wings. He lacks foot speed, but he makes up for it with how quickly he can mentally process the opposing team's attack. Dončić is averaging 2.0 steals and a career-high 0.8 blocks per game.
As a team, the Lakers are competing at a high level defensively. Acquiring Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in July gave the Lakers a proper rim protector. Neither Dončić nor Reaves is a defensive stopper, but the franchise has a long list of players willing to fight, including Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia, Quentin Grimes, Adou Thiero, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
The Lakers are among the league's top-scoring teams. If they can maintain above-average defense, with Dončić part of the solution and not the problem, the best record in the West is attainable.
Play 65+ Games
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Per NBA rules, Dončić will only be eligible for MVP if he reaches the 65-games-played threshold. The league made an exception last year, when Dončić missed a pair of December games for the birth of his second daughter.
Regardless, the Lakers need their best player on the court nearly every night, although Reaves carried the scoring load when Dončić sat out against the Detroit Pistons. Missing games is a double-edged sword: either the team will fall out of the race for the No. 1 seed, or it won't. If Reaves can keep the franchise winning at the same clip without Dončić, that waters down the MVP case.
L.A.'s early pattern is to rest Dončić for one game of each back-to-back. If he plays both ends of the all-home back-to-backs and avoids nicks and bruises (and more serious injuries), 70-plus games is a reasonable expectation.
Adapt Proactively
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It's more reality than cliche: an NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Managing an 82-game regular season is an exhausting task. Beyond what the players need to handle, the coaching staff and front office must be ready to adapt to the inevitable hurdles ahead.
From injuries to slumps to design flaws, the franchise needs to keep Dončić and the squad on a winning track. Before the back-to-back wins over the Pistons and Hawks, the Lakers had a relatively light schedule based on opponent strength and travel.
Can the team maintain its current pace on both sides of the ball, and if not, what then?
The Lakers lack significant draft capital but still may be in play for roster upgrades ahead of the Feb. 11 trade deadline. Top on the wish list would be a backup center who can reduce the drop-off in rim protection when Kessler sits.
The goal shouldn't be to play for the MVP award, but to win enough games to capture the No. 1 seed. Dončić will be the featured scorer, so keeping him healthy and supported will put the franchise in the best position to win.
Everything has lined up early in the year, but the team needs to brace for the challenges ahead and take the necessary steps to compete at the highest level.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus.
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