Before every NBA season, predictions about players and teams surface. For example, five-time All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. recently projected Luka Doncic’s performance.
The Slovenian joined the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025 through a trade that set the franchise up for success now and in the future. Even though he started slowly, he looks ready for the 2025-26 season.
A prediction that includes an award for Doncic
According to Athlonsports, this will be Doncic’s first full season with the Lakers. Fans now wonder what to expect from the 26-year-old star.
In 2018-19, he won Rookie of the Year. He is also a five-time All-Star, one-time scoring champion, and led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Tim Hardaway sr.
predicts MVP next season:
“He actually should have probably won it one time, but I’m gonna go with Luka Dončić. I think that if he has a really, really good year. If he has a good year like he normally has and they end up in the upper echelons, 1-4 seed. Right… pic.twitter.com/Hfbb1tRmjS— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) September 16, 2025
Still, Doncic has not won an MVP award, despite being in the conversation several times. On this, former All-Star guard Tim Hardaway Sr. believes Doncic will finally get it this season.
He said: “He probably should have won it once already, but I’m going with Luka Doncic. If he has a very good year, like he usually does, and the Lakers finish in the top 1–4 seeds, I think he has very, very good chances of winning MVP. He should have probably won it two years ago.”
Doncic’s recent performance supports that prediction. In a short span with the Lakers, he proved he belongs among the NBA’s elite.
In 28 games last season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.1 minutes. These numbers make him one of the league’s best players, still short of his peak.
