Do the Lakers legitimately have two MVP candidates?
Los Angeles Lakers fans entered the 2025-26 campaign expecting fireworks, but few predicted the historic offensive explosion currently emanating from Crypto.com Arena. As the team sits comfortably at 15-5, holding the second seed in the Western Conference, the narrative has shifted from playoff positioning to a fascinating league-wide debate: Can one backcourt produce two legitimate MVP finalists?
Under head coach JJ Redick, the Lakers have transformed into an offensive juggernaut, driven not by the returning LeBron James, but by the dynamic tandem of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The acquisition of Dončić was always going to shift the franchise's trajectory, yet his chemistry with Reaves has yielded results that defy modern usage rates. Dončić is currently leading the NBA in scoring, averaging a staggering 35.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game. In any ordinary season, those numbers would cement him as the runaway favorite.
However, the "Hillbilly Kobe" moniker attached to Reaves is starting to feel less like a nickname and more like a prophecy. Reaves is putting up numbers that mirror the franchise’s greatest legends, averaging 28.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. His efficiency has been the catalyst for Los Angeles, preventing defenses from collapsing entirely on Dončić. The duo’s production is historically anomalous; teammates rarely finish in the top five of MVP voting together due to vote-splitting, a phenomenon that famously affected Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in the early 2000s.
The supporting cast has been equally vital to this two-headed monster. Deandre Ayton has looked rejuvenated in the paint, shooting 71.0 percent from the field, while Marcus Smart has anchored the perimeter defense. With James recently returning to the lineup, the question becomes whether there is enough ball dominance to go around. Yet, if the first quarter of the season is any indication, the Lakers aren’t just contending for a title—they are rewriting the hierarchy of star power in the NBA.
Under head coach JJ Redick, the Lakers have transformed into an offensive juggernaut, driven not by the returning LeBron James, but by the dynamic tandem of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The acquisition of Dončić was always going to shift the franchise's trajectory, yet his chemistry with Reaves has yielded results that defy modern usage rates. Dončić is currently leading the NBA in scoring, averaging a staggering 35.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game. In any ordinary season, those numbers would cement him as the runaway favorite.
However, the "Hillbilly Kobe" moniker attached to Reaves is starting to feel less like a nickname and more like a prophecy. Reaves is putting up numbers that mirror the franchise’s greatest legends, averaging 28.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. His efficiency has been the catalyst for Los Angeles, preventing defenses from collapsing entirely on Dončić. The duo’s production is historically anomalous; teammates rarely finish in the top five of MVP voting together due to vote-splitting, a phenomenon that famously affected Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in the early 2000s.
The supporting cast has been equally vital to this two-headed monster. Deandre Ayton has looked rejuvenated in the paint, shooting 71.0 percent from the field, while Marcus Smart has anchored the perimeter defense. With James recently returning to the lineup, the question becomes whether there is enough ball dominance to go around. Yet, if the first quarter of the season is any indication, the Lakers aren’t just contending for a title—they are rewriting the hierarchy of star power in the NBA.
