Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama lead the MVP race as the NBA season approaches the holiday window, according to FanSided.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are surging early in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers have proven equally impressive, driven by Luka Doncic’s historic start averaging 39.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game, as reported by ESPN.
FanSided said that through his first 10 games, he’s averaging a league-leading 39.3 points, 7.9 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 5.5 made threes (!) and a career-high 2.0 steals per game.
Victor Wembanyama entered the season as the consensus favorite for the MVP award after guiding the Spurs to the NBA Finals last year. Wembanyama posted a 40-point, 11-rebound, 9-block line against Phoenix in just 25 minutes, according to FanSided.
In the East, the new-look Philadelphia 76ers feature LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Brown scored 30 points in a win over Detroit and 29 points against the Chicago Bulls.
“He’s something we really needed,” Tyrese Maxey said.
The Boston Celtics sit right behind their offseason trade partners with new faces around Jayson Tatum. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised the integration.
“On and off the court he’s been great,” Joe Mazzulla said.
Elsewhere across the league, Portland’s best newcomer is Damian Lillard, who is working to make fans forget that he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023 and missed last season due to an Achilles injury.
Lillard, 36, averages 19.4 points and 4.4 assists per game while building quick chemistry alongside All-Star wing Deni Avdija. Meanwhile, Bennedict Mathurin signed a two-year, $15.4 million contract with New Orleans in free agency as a 2022 lottery pick, though he is averaging a career-low 15.0 minutes per contest.
Acuff addressed his early struggles on the court.
“Early on, I wasn’t making as many reads. I was forcing a lot of shots. I think the game has slowed down for me,” Darius Acuff Jr. said.
In other rookie developments, Tarris Reed Jr., drafted 26th overall in 2026, has provided notable contributions. Another rookie, Lendeborg, connects on better than 44% of his 5.5 attempted 3-pointers per contest and has earned enough trust from head coach Steve Kerr that the team places the basketball in the young player’s hands to direct plays during the final moments of tight matchups.
Preseason editorial power rankings placed San Antonio first, followed by Oklahoma City and New York, according to EdgePicks AI. Those rankings served as an editorial outlook rather than official NBA standings or a calculated model rating.
Earlier coverage: Lakers Best Team in NBA? Reaves' 43 Points, Clifford Trade, Doncic Scoring Run & Power Rankings
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