Popular Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick used the term “media momentum” when explaining why he felt Luka Doncic was snubbed from the top three MVP voting. Doncic finished the season strong to enter the race and was ruled to qualify for voting, despite playing 64 games instead of the minimum 65. The top three names were revealed as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama, with the results coming soon.
Redick called out the media for snubbing from Luka from a realistic MVP case:
“(I am) disappointed. I think he deserved to be there, and I think all three guys that did end up being finalists had strong cases. A lot of this, unfortunately, is media momentum.
Sometimes a team, I guess we underperformed even though we didn’t have any expectations coming into the year. But I guess we underperformed for a couple months despite him getting Player of the Month one of those months. The media momentum just never got built.”
Redick went out of his way to bring up that Doncic did win the Player of the Month award multiple times this season and never got strong media momentum. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic were the MVP favorites all season long. Wembanyama picked up steam late, but Luka never had the momentum to pass these three names.
Why Voters Didn’t Vote For Luka Doncic
Redick should not be blamed for backing up his player, but the other players had stronger arguments to get voted over Luka. The Oklahoma City Thunder had the best record in the league all season long, thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander leading them with another spectacular year.
Jokic averaged a triple double to continue putting up historic numbers. Only Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson have ever done this, but Jokic took it to another level by leading the entire league in both rebounds and assists per game each.
Wembanyama’s dominant defense and his role in leading the San Antonio Spurs to a top two seed also crafted his narrative. Doncic just couldn’t pass the other three names since they all had huge roles in their teams having better seasons.
Luka’s Best MVP Chance Is Next Season
The Lakers will have a lot of cap space this summer and intend to improve the roster with more defenders that fit better with Doncic. A better roster is almost guaranteed since the Lakers hope to retain LeBron James and Austin Reaves, along with adding new talent.
Luka’s team will have a better chance at challenging for a higher seed and dominate more consistently throughout the regular season. The Lakers will have to challenge teams like the Thunder, Spurs and Denver Nuggets for the best record in the West. Doncic can’t afford to fall behind them and keep up in the MVP race.
Redick makes a good point about the media narrative influencing MVP races, but it was a hard sell for Luka to outdo the other deserving names this season. Next year should see Doncic in the MVP conversation earlier and leading his team to all-around greater results.
JJ Redick Calls Out Media For Snubbing Luka Doncic From MVP