There's no doubt when judging the popularity of players around the league, Luka Doncic's name is certainly near the top. Ever since he entered the league with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic's fame as a EuroLeague MVP carried over to the United States as he was a star from the beginning.

Doncic's rise was rapid, being named to the All-NBA First Team in his second year and finishing Top 5 in MVP voting. In the most recent All-Star voting returns, Luka's popularity was reflected as he leads all players with around 2.2 million votes. While LeBron James has typically dominated the voting, his teammate is now taking over as the top dog.

When asked about Doncic's popularity with reference to the All-Star voting, Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised Doncic for being a representation of the organization.

"That's awesome. One, I think he's established himself as a global superstar; he has for years now. Certainly speaks to the popularity of the Lakers brand and the amount of fans that follow us, cheer for us, live and breathe with every shot in every game, like everybody in that locker room does. And I think he's a fantastic representative of this organization," Redick said.

Averaging 33.7 points, 8.8 assists, and 8.0 rebounds across 28 games this season, it is clear that Doncic deserves his spot in the All-Star game. However, people aren't voting for him just because of that, but rather the popularity he has as a player.

As mentioned by Redick, the popularity of the Lakers certainly plays a factor, as it is one of the most popular franchises in all of North American sports.

As mentioned, it's been a stellar season for Doncic, but the star of the year for him was even more amazing. On top of opening the season up with three-straight 40-point games, he averaged 34.6 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.5 rebounds through the first 11 games of the season.

If the Lakers are able to stay in the mix near the top of the Western Conference, he'll certainly position himself to contend for his first MVP, which is surprising he hasn't won one at this point.

With Austin Reaves sidelined and LeBron James' status for back-to-back games up in the air for the rest of the season, the weight on Doncic's shoulders is heavy, but he's proven several times before that he can step up when it matters.

If the Lakers' team can make some improvements before the deadline, they could still find a way to make a run in the West.