Richard Jefferson applauds Luka Doncic for his MVP conditioning during offseason: “He's been the leading candidate betting-wise for MVP the last three consecutive seasons”

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic entered this season as a popular selection to win his first NBA MVP award. So far, Doncic hasn't failed to deliver on the hype with his play on the court.

In his first seven games, Doncic, one of the most dominant offensive forces in the entire NBA, is averaging 36.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game.

Throughout his first four seasons in Dallas, Luka has had some instances in which conditioning has caused issues. After making an effort to improve his health this offseason, Doncic looks better than ever.

It's gotten the attention of plenty in the basketball world, including ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson.

"He is playing the way he finished the season," Jefferson said on ESPN's "NBA Today." "Remember, he worked himself into shape and then he balled out at the end of the year and got his best playoffs, gets them to the conference finals, right? So what did he do? He went and played Euro basketball, stayed in great shape and now he is starting the season the same way he ended the season last year.

"He admitted that it took him a little bit of time to get into shape, and when you're a 24 year old player, it takes time. It takes time to understand how your offseason needs to go. It is a part of the maturation process. But Luka Doncic now understands that if he starts to, he's been the leading candidate betting-wise for MVP the last three consecutive seasons.

"Because he is that dude, and he's understanding the important part of the offseason is making sure that you hit the ground running to start the season."

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Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic turning heads

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic

It's been a remarkable opening month of play from Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. Still just 23, Doncic has the potential to turn into one of the all-time greats.

Doncic will have plenty of fans in the voting process for MVP if he can continue to play at this type of level. But Luka hasn't just thrived with his production in the regular season. He's also taken his game to another level in the postseason a number of times.

Just last year, Doncic was the reason why the Dallas Mavericks were able to upset the No. 1-seeded Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. During that series, Luka averaged 32.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game.

The next step for Luka Doncic will be getting the Mavericks to contend for a championship. While Dallas (4-3) has shown plenty of upside this season, there's still work to be done. Next up on the Mavericks' schedule will be a tough Toronto Raptors team (5-3) on Friday.