Luka Doncic: MVP Season on Tap?

We examine what the departure of Jalen Brunson means for Luka Doncic's MVP candidacy.

Regardless of what Dallas Mavericks fans think about the way that the Jalen Brunson saga played out, he left behind some pretty good size shoes to fill.

Christian Wood is no doubt going to help pick up some of the slack in regard to the scoring impact. He will also help on the rebounding as well. However, what does the departure of Brunson mean for Luka Doncic?

Last season, Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists in about 35 minutes of play. While Doncic's minutes may uptick slightly, his usage rate is almost guaranteed to increase. His usage rate for in 2021-22 was 37.3 percent. One of the main reason that this rate was not higher was the production of Brunson. 

Brunson had a usage rate of 21.9 percent last season, and he played roughly 31 minutes per game. He was the primary ball-handler when Doncic needed a breather. With no defined backup point guard currently on the roster, the ball will undoubtedly be in Doncic's hands more this season. What does that mean?

The increase of usage can only lead to more statistics for Doncic. He will definitely have a few more weapons at his disposal with the additions of Wood, Javale McGee and the return of Tim Hardaway Jr. 

This season could certainly set up the idea of Doncic to finally earn his first MVP award of his young career. The Mavericks young draft pick, Jaden Hardy, has already said that he feels there is a lot he wants to learn from Doncic. The Mavs will certainly have to build some chemistry with a lot of moving pieces, but it will be interesting to see what the larger usage could lead to for Doncic.