Luka Doncic is one of the best young talents in the NBA, but Dallas as a team tends to choke in the playoffs. Nikola Jokic is the reigning MVP and could repeat this season. Doncic and Jokic are close friends, and many fans across the NBA want Jokic to come to Dallas. But with the way Dallas performs in the playoffs, Luka could want to head to Denver instead. What would happen if these two MVP caliber stars came together in Denver?
The Simulation
For this simulation, Luka will sign with the Nuggets. I will stop at the All-Star break and the end of the regular season.
The Nuggets’ new starting lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Jamal Murray
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Simulation to the All-Star Break
I simulated the season up to the All-Star break, and this is what happened:
Record:
48-11 (1st in the West)
Season Awards:
Luka Doncic: Player of the Week 2x, Player of the Month 1x
Nikola Jokic: Player of the Week 2x, Player of the Month 1x
All-Star Participants:
Luka Doncic: All-Star Starter (Team LeBron)
Nikola Jokic: All-Star Starter (Steam Harden)
Award Race:
Luka Doncic: 1st in MVP voting
Nikola Jokic: 3rd in MVP voting
Player Stats:
Luka Doncic: 26.3 pts, 8.4 reb, 9.1 ast, 1.0 stl
Nikola Jokic: 22.7 pts, 11.5 reb, 8.9 ast, 1.3 stl
Aaron Gordon: 13.2 pts, 4.9 reb, 2.6 ast
Jamal Murray: 13.1 pts, 2.2 reb, 4.8 ast
Michael Porter Jr.: 12.3 pts, 5.1 reb, 0.8 ast
Simulation to the Playoffs
Next, I simulated to the end of the regular season. Here is what happened.
I simulated the season up to the All-Star break, and this is what happened:
Record:
69-13 (1st in the East)
Season Awards:
All-NBA 1st Team: Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic
Awards:
Nikola Jokic: MVP
Mike Malone: Coach of the Year
Player Stats:
Luka Doncic: 26.2 pts, 8.2 reb, 8.8 ast, 1.0 stl
Nikola Jokic: 22.0 pts, 11.4 reb, 9.1 ast, 1.5 stl
Jamal Murray: 14.0 pts, 2.3 reb, 4.8 ast
Aaron Gordon: 13.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.6 ast
Michael Porter Jr.: 12.6 pts, 5.0 reb, 0.8 ast
Playoffs
Round 1: Denver Nuggets (1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (8) = Denver Wins (4-1)
Conference Semi-Finals: Denver Nuggets (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (4) = Denver Wins (4-0)🧹
Conference Finals: Denver Nuggets (1) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2) = Denver Wins (4-0)🧹
NBA FINALS
DENVER NUGGETS (1) vs. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (6)
Game 1: Denver Wins (133-119)
Luka Doncic: 19 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl
Nikola Jokic: 19 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast
Jamal Murray: 16 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast
Game 2: Denver Wins (133-112)
Luka Doncic: 35 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk
Nikola Jokic: 16 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast
Aaron Gordon: 18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast
Game 3: Denver Wins (128-115)
Nikola Jokic: 27 pts, 18 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl
Luka Doncic: 22 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast
Jamal Murray: 17 pts, 2 reb, 8 ast
Game 4: Bucks Win (128-133)
Luka Doncic: 36 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast
Nikola Jokic: 18 pts, 16 reb, 13 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
Jamal Murray: 18 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl
Game 5: Bucks Win (106-122)
Nikola Jokic: 24 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk
Luka Doncic: 21 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast
Game 6: Denver Wins (108-101)
Jamal Murray: 24 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl
Luka Doncic: 21 pts, 2 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk
Nikola Jokic: 7 pts, 14 reb, 15 ast
THE DENVER NUGGETS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
DENVER BEATS MILWAUKEE (4-2)
Nikola Jokic = Finals MVP
The Mavericks’ Season Without Luka Doncic
The Dallas Mavericks had a terrible season without their star. The Mavericks tied with the Orlando Magic for the worst team in the league. Dallas was 49 games behind with a record of 20-62. Yikes.
Conclusion
If Luka Doncic were to join the Denver Nuggets, the league would be in trouble. Pairing two of the best scorers/passers in the league together would be insanity. Adding Luka to the roster would lessen Jamal Murray’s impact but it is for the better in this case. If this were to happen, would the Nuggets dominate the NBA? Would you want to see Luka Doncic in a Nuggets jersey?
