Luka Dončić just put up a monster 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in only 30 minutes during the Lakers’ 127-105 season-opening victory over the Warriors. You’d think that kind of stat line, from a guy who’s been First-Team All-NBA six out of the last seven seasons, would scream MVP, right? Guess again. Dončić didn’t receive a single vote from any of the league’s 30 general managers in the latest annual NBA GM Survey for who would win MVP. Zero. Zip. Nada.
Draymond Green Drops The “Greatness Fatigue” Bomb
Warriors forward Draymond Green wasn’t mincing words when he talked to Sam Amick of The Athletic about why Dončić is getting snubbed. According to Green, it’s all about “greatness fatigue.” Draymond laid it out, saying, “Nah, I don’t think there’s anything that he can do (to win it).” He stressed it’s not a knock on Luka, but that no one will be surprised if his team is a top-three seed, or even the fourth seed, because he’s just that good. There’s no “element of surprise.”
Green thinks Dončić gets “screwed because of it,” calling it “probably a little unfair.” He believes if “anybody else puts those numbers up, and they’re walking away with the MVP. Like, home free.” It’s so bad, Draymond compared it to LeBron James, asking, “He’s got, what, four MVPs? You’re telling me he wasn’t the best player in the NBA for at least 10 seasons? It’s greatness fatigue.” That’s a pretty wild take, saying a player can be too consistently good to win the league’s highest individual honor.
The League’s GMs Back Up The Claim
It gets even wilder when you look at the GM Survey. While Dončić got zero votes, San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama snagged 23 votes, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić got three, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took two, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum each received one. Seriously, the dude putting up historic numbers can’t even get one vote?
Lakers wing Austin Reaves echoed Green’s sentiments, telling Amick, “There’s a lot of truth in what (Green) said.” Reaves highlighted that Luka’s been playing at this insane level for eight years now, and because of it, there’s just “no wow factor” anymore. He explained, “There’s a wow factor when he plays, but you look at the box (score) after the game, and you’re like … ‘Oh, he had 35 (points).’ So when he has 40, people aren’t like, ‘Holy s, he had 40!’ It’s like, ‘Oh, he did what he does every single night.’ So, I think there’s a little bit of truth in what Draymond said about voter fatigue with someone who hasn’t won it.” That’s a tough pill to swallow for one of the league’s absolute best.
Unbelievable Numbers Still Aren’t Enough
Let’s talk about those numbers. Dončić has been straight-up elite, making the All-NBA First Team in six of the last seven seasons, with the only exception being 2024-25 when an injury limited him to 50 games. He’s been consistently putting up MVP-caliber stats, averaging 30.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game from 2019-20 through 2025-26. Those are bonkers numbers over a seven-season span, making him an undeniable MVP candidate every single year.
Despite all that, Dončić hasn’t even come close to actually winning the MVP. His best finish was third in 2023-24 while he was with the Dallas Mavericks, where he led the NBA with 33.9 points per game. Even then, he only got four of a possible 100 first-place votes, with Nikola Jokić crushing it with 79 votes. The issue, it seems, isn’t just “greatness fatigue” and voter apathy, but also the stiff competition from guys like Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, and now Wembanyama. Plus, his teams have never really been at the very top of the Western Conference standings during the regular season, maxing out at fourth. That team success, or lack thereof at the very peak, could be another hurdle this season.
So, what’s a superstar supposed to do? Luka’s already doing pretty much everything. If “greatness fatigue” is a real thing, it means he might have to drag his team to the absolute top of the West and then some to finally grab that MVP trophy. This early in the season, with zero GM votes to his name, he’s got a mountain to climb, but knowing Luka, you can bet he’s going to try and prove everyone wrong.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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