The NBA recently announced that Luka Doncic has been selected to the 2023-24 Kia All-NBA First Team, marking the fifth consecutive year that Doncic has been selected to the First Team, eclipsing franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki for the most selections in Dallas Mavericks history.
It was also his fifth time being named to the first team before his 26th birthday, joining only two other players to do so: Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant. Doncic joins Duncan, George Gervin and Larry Bird as the only players to be named to the All-NBA First Team five times in each of his first six seasons, putting him alongside some of the NBA's greatest names.
Doncic is averaging a career-high 33.9 points per game this season, which is also the best in the league. His assist average is a career-high and second-best in the NBA, and his 9.2 rebounds per game are 15th in the league. It seems inevitable that Doncic will one day average a triple-double.
The fact that Doncic has achieved such incredible results and awards at such a young age shows just how much talent he has. There are many NBA legends who have not achieved what Doncic has at the same point in their careers. Given what he has accomplished so far in his international career and in the NBA, if he retired today he would still be in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
All that's left is to win. By reaching the Western Conference Finals, Doncic is in position to truly compete for MVP next year, as long as the Mavericks keep winning. Like it or not, the MVP award is rooted in a story, and voters would love a story of Doncic making a strong playoff run and leading the Mavericks to a top-four seed next season. If he averages roughly the same numbers as he did this year (which is starting to feel like a given), the MVP award will be his.
Doncic has already burst into the NBA universe like a bright comet. The only question is how long he can last. At the very least, we will discuss how he quickly became one of the best players in the NBA at such a young age and how he is gleefully telling the younger generation the incredible story of his dominance. But if he continues to play this type of basketball for another decade, Doncic will be one of the best players of all time.
