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By Jayesh Pagar
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The Los Angeles Lakers started this season with a big question.
LeBron James was gone, and the team now belonged to Luka Doncic. Everyone wanted to know if he could carry that load every night.
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Eight games in, the answer looks like a loud yes. The Lakers are 6-2, and Doncic is putting up numbers the league hasn’t seen in decades. Fans have noticed, and so have the oddsmakers.
NBA news account The NBA Base put his start in perspective on X, comparing it to Wilt Chamberlain’s most famous season.
“Luka Dončić is currently averaging 1.07 points per minute this season. That is higher than Wilt Chamberlain’s 1.04 PPM during his legendary 1961-62 season (50.4 PPG). He has surged to the front of the NBA MVP race with +185 odds on @BetUS_NBA,” The NBA Base wrote.
Those odds tell their own story. Before the season, Doncic sat behind Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on most MVP boards, usually at +500 or longer. BetUS now has him on top, ahead of Wembanyama at +200 and two-time reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander at +400.
The box scores back it up. Doncic leads the NBA at 38.3 points per game and is averaging 43.4 over his last five outings, including a 52-point night in Utah.
On Sunday, he torched the Toronto Raptors for 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals. A night later, he dropped 42 points and 13 assists in a 138-117 win over the Miami Heat.
That Heat game made more history. Doncic now has 19 career games with at least 40 points, 10 assists, and five 3-pointers, the most ever. He also tied Kobe Bryant’s Lakers record with five straight games of 35-plus points.
Next up is a road game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Lakers fans spent the summer wondering what this team would look like in Doncic’s hands. So far, it looks a lot like an MVP’s team.
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