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Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic should have a turbulent, but worthwhile rookie season

By Zamir Bueno

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Luka Doncic is introduced before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Luka Doncic is introduced before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Rick Carlisle’s development process of working on strengthening the weaknesses should be the catalyst behind Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic having a turbulent rookie season

There are some NBA head coaches who prioritize skill development over immediate success.

Kawhi Leonard is a product of just that, and he would not be the player he is today without that philosophy. Prior to joining the Spurs, Kawhi was an awful 3-point shooter as he shot 25 percent from behind the arc in two seasons at San Diego State.

Once with the Spurs and now under head coach Gregg Popovich, he worked with the team’s shooting coach Chip Engelland to tweak his shooting motion. Engelland helped Leonard lower his shot release which was the final piece to him becoming a great shooter.

In seven NBA seasons with the Spurs,  Kawhi shot 38.6 percent from behind the arc.

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Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle is also one of the coaches. Placing a premium on player development, Rick decided to play point guard Dennis Smith Jr. off the ball for a significant amount of time last season. At the Christmas point of his rookie season, the Mavericks were worried that he was trying to do everything by himself.

According to ESPN, Smith would ” try to dunk everything” when surrounded by defenders in the paint instead of passing the ball.

According to Eddie Sefko of Sports Day, Carlisle wanted to get Smith out of the habit of being ball dominant and make him:

"“the most polished, well-rounded player he can be in years to come.” Dennis Smith Jr didn’t understand the decision stating “I’ve been playing point guard for my whole life”."

The transition for Dennis included starting two games at the position averaging 10 points, 2.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and shooting 10 percent (1 for 10) from behind the arc. The two-game stretch saw a substantial decrease in points and assists with an increase in rebounds from his regular season averages. Dennis Smith Jr averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and shooting 31.3 % (1.5 for 4.9) from behind the arc.

Does that same development process as Kawhi and Dennis await Luka Doncic during his upcoming rookie season?

While Dennis and Luka are two different players, he too has a glaring weakness, three-point shooting. In fact, according to Basketball-Reference.com, he had a career shooting percentage of 33.3 percent (1 for 3.1) from behind the arc during his time overseas.

The 3-point percentage is expected to be even lower in the NBA, with the 3-point line overseas closer to the basket. This puts the opposing team in a good position defensively when Doncic does not have the ball, as they can afford to leave him open to provide help defense elsewhere.

In spite of that, we should fully expect for Rick to develop that weakness and not run away from it. He’s already admitted when interviewed by NBA.com that he is not sure what position he is indicating that he doesn’t see him in one position and that he’ll be flexible in where he’ll play him.

You shouldn’t be surprised when Rick has team to pass the ball to Luka to give him some shooting repetitions in games. In fact, he has gone so far as to say that stating “him playing 4 is gonna be a problem for teams to match up with.“ And, as he did with Dennis, you should expect for Rick to see this process through Luka’s rookie season, to gauge whether or not Doncic’s shooting improves. He gave Dennis 69 games last year to work through his weaknesses, almost an entire season.

Must Read: NBA: The 5 most impressive players from the 2018 Summer League

It’ll be a turbulent rookie season for Luka Doncic, but worth it for him to develop into a Manu Ginobili/James Harden type of player for the Dallas Mavericks in the future. 

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