“He will probably be the number one candidate for MVP” : Gilbert Arenas makes bold prediction about Luka Doncic ahead of the new NBA season
Ever since his arrival in the NBA from Real Madrid, Luka Doncic has easily been a top five scorer in the league, in addition to performing well in other aspects of the game. The Slovenian has now entered the prime of his career, which he has been showcasing from the past two seasons.
The 25-year-old has averaged more than 32 points over the past two seasons, while being very close of averaging a triple-double. Coming off sensational season after season, the Dallas Mavericks star is also rumoured to be the chosen replacement of LeBron James, for the 17-time NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers.
Had the Mavericks won over the Celtics in last season’s NBA Finals, the Slovenian would have been the sure shot MVP as well. Recently, former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas made his choice of Luka Doncic being the MVP for next season and what the 25-year-old should be aiming for.
“I’d be surprised if he don’t average a triple-double” : Gilbert Arenas
On the Gils Arena Show, the 42-year-old spoke highly of the Slovenian, and believes that he would be surprised if Doncic does not average a triple-double next season, especially with the addition of Klay Thompson in the Dallas Mavericks.
“I’d be surprised if he don’t average a triple-double. If you was averaging that many assists with what you had, and now you have a guy who’s a catch-and-shoot. Some of your assists will come without even any effort this time. You should average a triple-double. He will probably be the number one candidate for MVP. He’s going to do something that hasn’t been done in a few years, and that’s average a triple-double,” said the former Warriors man.
Gilbert Arenas also pointed out that he does not want to put pressure on the 25-year-old, but if he was so close to averaging a triple-double with ‘what he had’, the addition of Klay Thompson in the team would make assists ‘effortless’ for him. The Warriors icon is coming off a season where he averaged 18 ppg, and would be a huge boost for Doncic and the Mavericks.
The last player to average a triple-double was Russell Westbrook in 2021 with the Washington Wizards. Arenas’s statement may well be true because, seeing how the current state of the NBA is, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks’ only real competition will come from the Boston Celtics again later on in the season, and the Slovenian could very well rack up the assists and rebounds required to average a triple-double with the help of his new teammate Klay Thompson.
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