Luca Doncic is having what I think has to be not only the most underrated season right now, but the most underrated season ever. Luca is currently averaging very close to a 35 point triple double. I understand his maps are currently the A-seed, but they are a few games away from being a top 5 or 6 seed. While this video isn't MVP-centric, the NBA's latest MVP ladder, having Luca outside of the top 5, is what made me feel the need to make this video. The narrative around Luca currently is also strange, his placement on the MVP ladder represents this, but doesn't tell the whole story. There are a handful of other worthy candidates, but the lack of MVP hype I've seen Luca get despite his unreal season is honestly disrespectful. Today I'm going to be going over Luca's best season yet, the reasons as to why it's not getting the attention it deserves, and why some narratives around Luca currently are flat out dumb. Before we get into this video, I would really appreciate it, but help me out a ton smaller NBA YouTuber trying to grow and without further ado, let's get right into the video. I have a laundry list of points to make here, but I'm just going to start here. In 40 games this season, Luca don't check his averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks, on 48.9% from the field, 37.5% from deep, and 78% from the line for a true shooting of 61.6%. Now I have two questions for you. One, if literally any other player had these stats, where do you think he would be in the MVP conversation? There are plenty of worthy candidates, but for me personally the only guy I'd have over Luca's and bead, but he's obviously out of the race so I don't even know why he's on these ladders anymore. The part to me that's funny is that if his ranking is impacted by his obvious impending elimination, why would you even have him there at all? Anyways, if there would be anything to beat Luca in my eyes, it would be 35, 12, and 6 with elite room protection. Question 2. If Luca were averaging a bit shy of a rebound in a half more and a little under a half of an assist more, making for a 33-35 or higher point triple double average, would your perception suddenly change? Even if this may not be true for you in particular, there isn't a doubt in my mind that this would shift hides, and is that really logical? These are some stats, but I don't think those increases would be all that much more really indicative of something really basketball wise, right? Some people are going to say this is quote-unquote rooted in hypothetical because they know their perception would shift based on something relatively unimportant. Before I move off to this MVP talk, I think now that an upbeat is gone that Yokeh Johnis and Chey are all worthy candidates, but it's the fact that Luca isn't even included in these conversations that irks me. I understand the seating precedent, but we have seen in situations like Russ and Yokehs that this can be ignored in some situations. Luca is almost averaging a 35 point triple double. This is unprecedented and unreal, and even if it doesn't result in an MVP, it at least deserves some of the recognition it deserves while we're actually in the moment. Luca's gaudy 35, 9, and 10 becomes even more insane when you dig a little deeper. This season, Luca Donchik is averaging a career high in points per game, assists per game, steals per game, blocks per game, fuel goal attempts, three point attempts, true shooting percentage, three point percentage, and free throw percentage. Luca has been more or less 28-8-nate since his second year in the league, and many wondered realistically how much better could he actually get? The answer is a lot. I understand it's hard to provide much more than 28-8-nate impact wise, but I sort of always saw lane for big improvement in the three point efficiency department. 34-35% on 8-9-3s a night is more than fine, but I always thought Luca would be able to get that to at least 36, and he's exceeded my expectations. Not only is Luca shooting a career 37.5% from deep, but he's also taking the most 3s he's ever taken by a good margin, taking 10.3 compared to a few seasons where he was just shy of 9. Logic says as shot volume increases, shot making decreases, but Luca has become one of the few to break that mold. Luca was in that hard and category of high volume around 35-ish percent three point shooters who everyone knows is just as if not more skilled of a three point shot maker than a vast majority of the people had if him percentage wise. Hardam was taking like 12-13-3s a night some years, but with or without further improvement I think Luca could shoot at least 35-36% of that clip. Another thing about Luca having MVP level stats since he was 20 years old, despite being in his sixth season five of which have been elite, he is still only 24 years old. He turns 25 near the end of this month, but I feel like how good Luca has been for so long has altered our perception of him. Despite Luca's plough performances, there are definitely people that have odd and unfair labels attached to him for misguided reasons. The large narrative is that Luca can't play with other stars, which is supported by Jalen Brunson's emergence and people thinking Kyrie isn't more or less what he's always been because the Mavs haven't had team success. There's also been a newly minted porzingus thing which was hilarious, but I guess we'll talk about it. The first and overarching, relatively simple concept at play here is that yes, when you have a generational offensive talent such as Luca Doncic, you're probably not going to have the same stats you would as a first option even in a 1A1B situation. People point to stat differences as a reason as to why Luca can't play with other stars when the actual reason is just simple usage logic. Brunson's rise is obviously largely due to the simple logic of him becoming a first option, but he has improved significantly year over year and is even on a completely different level from even last season. The only season in which Jalen Brunson played over 30 minutes of night with Dallas in 2022, he averaged 16, 24, and 5, and 22, and 4 in the playoffs. While he likely wouldn't have been able to ascend to where he is right now because of logic, I firmly believe that Brunson could and would be doing what Kyrie is doing right now were he to have stayed a maverick. My next point is that out of every possible star mold, a smaller score is probably one of the worst fits next to Luca. This is not to say that it cannot be extremely effective, but you'd have to think a dynamic wing or big score would be more seamless fit with Luca. This however was not Chris Saps Porzingus, much less 2021 Chris Saps Porzingus. Winning bias, being able to play off of 3-4 all star level players, as well as a significant change in mindset and game is making Porzingus now the latest Luca victim. Chris Saps evidently was not what we saw in New York, Washington or now Boston, and this was not only obvious to anyone watching, but is also backed up by a number of things. Chris Saps Porzingus admitted to not giving full effort in the 2021 playoffs out of spite, and also blamed himself and his maturity for not being willing to play the role he was given. Not only this, but Porzingus was also injury riddled throughout his Dallas tenure. Porzingus had his real resurgence with Washington, which the general public is now being made aware of with Boston. This resurgence was due to many factors, none of the main ones being no longer being paired with a generational playmaker. Health, maturity, and being in a featured role in Washington and on a super team in Boston is why we are seeing a much more effective Chris Saps Porzingus. Not the absence of Luca Doncci, back to that playmaker talk though. This is what makes the ball hog narrative so funny to me. The reason Luca has the ball so much is because he has more or less been the entire team for his entire career. People who weren't there are going to say, oh he had a Brunson in Porzingus, big three. When anyone and everyone who actually watched those teams knew that neither Brunson nor Porzingus looked anything like they do now, and that's if Porzingus was even playing. There are small inklings of Luca's playstyle that would have to be adjusted where he'd play with a star wing or something, but this is true for literally every star. Luca hasn't really had the opportunity to mesh with his co-stars either. Brunson was never viewed in that light, and Porzingus and Kyrie have both missed good chunks of time in their tenures. Luca is legitimately a generational playmaker and anyone who watches basketball knows this. He had established himself as an 8-9 assists guy, but has even taken that to a new level. Luca is not only averaging career highs across the board in terms of shooting and scoring, but it's also averaging a career high 9.6 assists. 35 and 10 assists rounded is unreal, and beyond MVP are best in the world discussion, I wonder why this isn't being appreciated as it should be. An average game for him is 35, 9 and 10. Do we understand the grasp of this? Again, playmaking isn't strictly assist numbers, but I don't think I need to explain Luca's insane passing and vision. I also understand sad inflation, but even 30 and 8 would win you MVP in a lot of years, so I don't know why this is such a sticking point for many. I mean, I know why. They don't really watch basketball and assume professional basketball players are fine just letting someone drop 70 on them, but that's for another time. Regardless of Arapacer, any other factor, the shot making and overall offensive arsenal on display from Luca, Night in and Night out is truly special. We can look at Satsun say, well, it wouldn't have been 35 and 10, 10 years ago, or we can marvel at the insane levels of shot making this game has to offer. Also getting a little off topic, but something tells me if you watched a random older game and a random current game side by side, instead of relying on your nostalgia of it being a gladiator sport that it never was, one is probably more entertaining and impressive. Luca Doncic is having one of the best seasons ever right now. If you think someone else should take home the MVP, fine, but a 35, 9 and 10 guy not being a mainstay in the conversation really hurt me. I know I said you could give literally anyone these numbers and they would have a completely different narrative, but just imagine if Yokech was averaging 35 even on Lucas' efficiency. Yokech is the best player in the world and will probably win MVP, but this hypothetical spells it out completely to me. Can you imagine what would be being said if Yokech was averaging even 33 to 34 and 9 and 9? I'm not suggesting Yokech deserves any less praise, rather that simply Luca deserves more for the historic stuff he's doing right now. If you love basketball, you should be watching Luca play any chance you get. In terms of being in and around MVP level since the age of 20 while still ascending significantly is something basically only precedent by LeBron. Don't let it take until he gets a ring to appreciate him. This is the thing I might hate most about the NBA media space. Luca and many others are quite literally in the midst of some of the best careers ever and some people aren't able to give him credit until after the fact. It's an awful way of observing sports and I'm glad I don't fall victim to it. That's going to wrap this one up if you enjoyed it. Please like and sub the channel. Hit that noti bell. Comment down below your thoughts on Lucas season so far. If y'all watched that 73 point game, I mean, like, what do I have to say, man? Again, if you're watching Luca play, you see what this is. Again, Yokech is probably going to win MVP, you know, again, Shay, you know, whatever, Shay's 32, 6 and 6, you know, Yannis is 31, 11 and 6. Yannis, Yokech, Shay, all worthy candidates. My point is Luca is 2. If like, I just doesn't make sense to me. Like again, I get the seeding thing. Yokech won it is a 6 seed, Russ won it is a 6 seed, and again, if it was legitimately officially a 35 point triple double, would the narrative completely shift? I'm pretty sure it would. That's going to wrap this one up. If y'all still watching comment, I mean, I don't know, comment sock. I'm looking at a sock and I'll catch on the next one. Comment anything you want me to, you know, do down below. I mean, I think I'm going to do a Brunson video. I mean, I'm going to do, I don't even know. Like, I mean, Brunson, Brunson and Chat are definitely queued up. I don't know what else, you know, I'll do team videos, obviously as well, but yeah, that's going to wrap this one up. Peace!