Notwithstanding their reputation as one of the NBA’s most injured teams this year, the Dallas Mavericks, with a 24–18 record, are sixth in the Western Conference rankings. Superstar Luka Doncic, who is averaging 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.2 assists while shooting 48.5 percent overall—including a career-high 37.6 percent from 3-point range—has played a significant role in this. Even with the number of injuries Dallas has had to deal with, those are MVP-caliber stats, but it doesn’t seem like Doncic’s performance will advance him up NBA.com’s MVP Ladder. For USA TODAY Sports, Jerome Miron After missing three games, Doncic made a triumphant comeback, finishing with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Of his total points, 14 came in the second quarter. The performance was Doncic’s seventh triple-double of the year and his 63rd overall, according to Michael C. Wright, who moved Doncic down the rankings from No. 4 to No. 5. “Remember that Doncic is only 24 years old? He was supposed to play Stephen Curry in Golden State on Friday, but the Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic’s passing forced a postponement of the game.” That judgment doesn’t seem like it would be sufficient to demote Doncic on the MVP Ladder, does it? All due respect to the players in front of Doncic, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder—all of them have stronger supporting casts and have not experienced the same level of hardship as Doncic has this season. But a lot can happen in forty games, so we’ll see if the Mavericks can win enough games to give Doncic a genuine shot at winning his first MVP prize after all is said and done.GET MORE NEWS HERE