The 2024-25 NBA season is just around the corner, and predictions are already rolling in from analysts and former players. One of the first to weigh in is Tracy McGrady , who not only predicted the Dallas Mavericks to be one of the most dominant teams in the league but even proclaimed Luka Doncic the frontrunner for the MVP award.
McGrady on Luka Doncic
Though the Slovenian guard has been an All-NBA First Team member since his sophomore year and has consistently been among the top 10 MVP candidates, last season, he led the league in scoring for the first time and even logged 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. If being the second-runner-up for the MVP award wasn't impressive enough, Doncic boosted his overall play in the postseason, elevating his stats in rebounding and steals to ensure a place for the Mavs in the championship for the first time in 13 years.
Seeing how much Doncic has grown, McGrady had no doubts that the five-time All-Star is in prime position for the ultimate award.
"I'm gonna go based off the season he had last year, leading his team to the Finals, I think coming back this year he's gonna be even hungrier," McGrady said. "I look at a guy like Luka Doncic that I feel will be this year's MVP. A guy that leads his team in a lot of categories... He's a guy that I think every year coming into the NBA season you can always consider him as an MVP candidate but I think coming into this season, it'll be Luka Doncic's MVP to lose."
Tracy McGrady has high expectations from Luka
The Mavs also made some strong moves over the summer, adding Spencer Dinwiddie and Klay Thompson, which should definitely boost their offense. Plus, they've managed to keep their core bigs like Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, and Dwight Powell, which has everyone expecting them to improve on their 50-32 record from last season.
Reflecting on this, Tracy emphasized how the Dallas Mavericks seem poised to make their second consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals.
"I think Dallas is gonna be a very good team, adding Klay Thompson," McGrady added. "So, I look for Dallas to do some big, big things. Possibly seeing them back in the Finals."
If coach Jason Kidd's teams can lock up a top 2 seed in the Western Conference, and Doncic can replicate the averages of what he had over the past two seasons, there's a good chance he could snag the MVP - even if he doesn't lead the league in any specific category.
Related: Mark Cuban on winning a championship with Luka Doncic: "It takes some time to really go through it"
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