Luka Doncic has gone from flabby and out of shape to lean, muscular and cut in a matter of a couple of months this summer. He has already been one of the NBA’s very best players over the last few years, but he now seems poised to raise his game to an even higher level.

Some people around the league have said recently that Doncic is set to have an MVP-caliber year and possibly even win the award this coming season. ESPN recently polled its NBA insiders on who will win the league’s major individual awards, and when it came to who will win the 2025-26 MVP, Doncic got 62 points, which was second only to Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets.

Via ESPN:

“Either voter fatigue wears off quickly, or voters were very impressed by Nikola Jokic’s head-to-head battle with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the second round of the 2025 playoffs,” wrote Ramona Shelburne. “The three-time MVP came in as a heavy favorite to win for a fourth time in our preseason survey, almost doubling the votes for SGA to repeat. Voters also seemed to be impressed by Luka Doncic’s offseason transformation as the svelte version of the Los Angeles Lakers point guard came in second in early voting.”

Doncic, despite being out of shape and hobbled last season, averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists a game. He missed about seven weeks at midseason due to a calf strain, and that absence stretched into the early days of his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has proven in the recent past that he can elevate his team above the sum of its parts when it matters most by leading the Dallas Mavericks to the 2022 Western Conference finals and the 2024 NBA Finals. Perhaps he will give the Lakers some extra wins and help them overcome their defensive deficiencies this season, which would only help his chances of winning his first MVP award.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic is second in ESPN NBA insiders’ MVP prediction poll