NBA Announcement on Luka Doncic

NEW YORK — The NBA revealed on Tuesday that Luka Doncic has been named the Western Conference Player of the Month for January.

In the 15 games he played that month, Doncic led the league with an impressive average of 34 points, along with 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds.

The Los Angeles Lakers finished January with a record of 9-7, winning four of their six games before losing to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to kick off February.

Interestingly, during the games Doncic played in January, the Lakers held a record of 9-6.

Doncic really showcased his talent throughout January. On January 20th, he celebrated a triple-double, posting 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Denver Nuggets. A few games later, on January 26th, he scored an outstanding 46 points with 12 assists and 7 rebounds while shooting 60%, including 57.1% from three-point range. And then, in a game on January 30th against the Wizards, he added 37 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals to his tally.

At the start of the season, Doncic had some difficulties with his shooting but made a strong comeback in January, finishing with a shooting percentage of 39.2% from beyond the arc on nearly 10 attempts.

This honor for January is Doncic’s first Player of the Month accolade for the season. Previous honors went to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets for October and November, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder for December.

On the Eastern Conference side, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics has also been recognized as the Player of the Month for January.

As Doncic continues to compete for the MVP title, there are questions about whether Jokic, a three-time MVP, can hit the 65-game threshold needed for postseason eligibility.

At just 26 years old, Doncic went into Tuesday’s road game against the Brooklyn Nets averaging an outstanding 33.6 points, 8.8 assists, 8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.