Rachel Nichols defends snubbing Luka Dončić in MVP race

Luka Dončić, leading the NBA in scoring and averaging close to a triple-double with improved defense while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to more than 50 wins, might be MVP worthy to some, but not to Rachel Nichols.

On a recent episode of Open Floor: SI’s NBA Show, co-host Chris Mannix asked Nichols whether Lakers guard Austin Reaves is correct to allege Dončić is being overlooked in the MVP conversation.

“I mean, he’s been mentioned as in the MVP conversation for quite some time now. So, I don’t know how we could be overlooking him,” Nichols answered before explaining why she doesn’t believe Dončić deserves the award. “Is he the top contender for MVP right now? No, he is not. Is the reason because you do have to play both sides of the ball for all eight months of the season? Yes, it is.

“I mean, he has definitely been improving,” Nichols continued. “I am the loudest voice that Luka is not the defensive liability that people think he is once he gets to the playoffs. He cares differently; he plays differently. He does not play that way in January, I’m sorry. And it is a full-season award, and it is for both sides of the ball. So, am I going to vote him my No. 1 for MVP? No. Is he going to be on my ballot? Absolutely.”

Nichols quickly faced backlash over the take, specifically for her emphasis on defense, with Dončić defenders pointing to her earlier this season when she credited his improved play on both sides of the ball.

“I think Luka is ‘in the conversation,’ like we like to say, in that top three,” Nichols said on her podcast with Mannix in November. “He’s leading the league in scoring. He’s averaging nearly a triple-double. Defense has actually been solid. He’s had a five-steal game and a pair of four-steal games in a season that’s still relatively young.

“That’s three games out of the only 20 that we’re talking about that he’s had four or five-steal performances. That’s not nothing. I’m not putting him as No. 1. I’m just saying that this is a three-way conversation in my mind.”

Nichols, however, explained that this isn’t too far off from what she said about Dončić on her latest podcast episode, reaffirming that he is a top-three player with improved defense, but that his defense is still more of a liability than the other MVP candidates.

Many also pointed out that Nichols didn’t face the same public complaints about Nikola Jokić and James Harden, who, similarly, are not known for any defensive prowess, during their MVP years. The difference, however, is that Dončić is going up against two worthy MVP candidates who are considered more complete players in Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

There should be no shame in saying you have Dončić third to Wemby or SGA. Equally, there should be no shame in saying Dončić deserves to be the MVP. But the NBA media discourse around Dončić has been bizarre in recent months. Prior to the start of this season, everyone was praising Dončić for finally getting in shape. And once the season started, the praise continued with Dončić playing like an MVP while LeBron James was nursing his sciatica pain.

By February, the narrative around Dončić completely flipped. Chris Broussard was ready to claim Dončić might never win a championship. Brian Windhorst alleged that the Los Angeles Lakers big three of Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves were a bad team. And Colin Cowherd went so far as to say the 26-year-old superstar was already on the downside of his career arc.

Nichols isn’t doing any of that. She maintained that Luka Dončić is a top-three NBA player throughout the entire season. And when there are three worthy MVP candidates, sometimes you reach your decision by assessing reasons they don’t deserve the award rather than only focusing on why each player deserves to win. For Dončić, the easiest criticism remains his defense.