Superstars like Luka Doncic can define an entire generation. However, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard is losing pace among his peers without an MVP, NBA championship, or NBA Finals MVP to show for his incredible individual efforts to start his career.
What do Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum all have in common? For one, they are all Doncic's peers in this current generation of NBA superstars. The second thing is they all possess one of those major NBA accolades.
JxmyHighroller pointed this out in a recent video on his YouTube channel. Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Gilgeous-Alexander each tick all three of the boxes above. Tatum has a championship. Embiid has an MVP. Doncic has none of those.
"Almost without exception, every all-time great modern player stamped their legacy with at least one of these benchmark achievements that separate great players from all-time great players by the end of their eighth season in the league," the Youtuber said. "Most of them with many of these awards."
Luka Doncic still needs to prove he belongs with his generation’s best
No one will deny Doncic is one of the best players in the league. The Lakers superstar got an early start to joining the upper tier of superstars by his second season, indicated by the All-NBA First Team selection in his sophomore campaign during the 2019-20 season.
Doncic has racked up four more of those since. That alone puts him in some rare company already.
Doncic is tied for 22nd among players in NBA history for the most All-NBA First Team honors. That is a special achievement for someone about to enter his eighth season in the league, but it is still not one of the three prestigious trophies listed above.
The closest Doncic came to joining that club was the 2023-24 NBA season. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar was firmly in the MVP race, finishing third behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. Luka also came up three wins short of his first championship, and a possible NBA Finals MVP.
The key aspect working in Doncic's favor right now is age. The Slovenian superstar is the youngest among his peers listed above, and even entered alongside Gilgeous-Alexander at the latest mark of any of those transcendent talents.
However, even in that sense, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar just lapped him in one season by winning all three of those trophies. The conversations about the best player of the 2018 NBA Draft quickly shifted in the process.
The clearest path Doncic would have to any of the three achievements would be the MVP award. The Lakers superstar point guard already has the narrative working in his favor before the 2025-26 even arrives.
The media will be eager to crown him as a first-time MVP winner next season after a strong revenge story and a body transformation that continues to dominate offseason conversations. However, Doncic will need to do his part, ensuring this generation does not leave him behind.