Heading into the NBA playoffs, the debate about who was the best player in the league was an open and shut case, with the consensus being that superstar Nikola Jokic of the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets was the league’s elite player.

Even though Jokic and company made easy work of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason, beating the storied franchise in five games, the same couldn’t be said for the second round.

.@LegsESPN believes Luka has to win a title to be named the best player in the NBA.

"If he finishes the deal and gets an MVP … I'm ok with people labeling Luka Doncic the best player in the league." pic.twitter.com/SBo0tGRCl8

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 3, 2024

Jokic and his championship squad had no answer for a motivated Anthony Edwards and a talented Minnesota Timberwolves team, who had come off of sweeping Kevin Durant and the star-studded Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Fast forward to the Western Conference Finals, and Luka Doncic put on a show against the defensive-minded Timberwolves, as he was virtually unstoppable, hitting some incredible shots and leading his team to the NBA Finals, beating Minnesota in five games.

After that series, Doncic has turned enough heads to change the discussion about who is the best player in the league, which could be settled in the Finals, according to ESPN’s Tim Legler, via “Get Up.”

“If he finishes the deal and gets an MVP … I’m ok with people labeling Luka Doncic the best player in the league,” Legler said.

Although Doncic dominated the Timberwolves in five games during the Western Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics are a different beast entirely, as they are stacked with talent and about as experienced as they could be at this point in the playoffs.

Doncic will have his work cut out for him if he wants to end the debate on who is the league’s best player.