Dallas Mavericks: Why Luka Doncic is ahead of his time

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is unlike any NBA rookie we’ve seen before, and is ahead of his time

During last years’ NBA draft, Luka Doncic was widely regarded as a unanimous top-3 pick.

The Dallas Mavericks made an excellent decision when they called the Atlanta Hawks to swap Trae Young (5th pick) with Doncic (3rd pick).

Globally recognized as a future NBA star, Doncic excelled right from when he was offered a contract by Real Madrid at age 13.

Constantly playing against older and bigger players had a lasting impact on Doncic’s IQ and skillset as he has had a seamless transition into the NBA.

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Here’s a short list of his notable accomplishments before the NBA:

• Euroleague MVP
• Euroleague Champion
• Euroleague Finals MVP
• 3x Liga ACB Champion

Rookie Season

So far Doncic has appeared in 48 out of 49 games for the Mavericks and is averaging 20.5 points, 5.4 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and a 19.42 PER (50th in the NBA) at 19 years old.

Although his numbers are reminiscent of Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, and even more so like LeBron James during their rookie campaigns, Doncic has led a lowly Mavericks team to an unexpected 22-27 record (12th) in the Western Conference.

Doncic has already added two triple-doubles to his rookie campaign and even became the first teenager at 19 to record a 30-point triple-double, ahead of LeBron who did so at 20 years of age.

Among his impressive accolades include being the only NBA player besides LeBron James to achieve the 500+ pts, 150+ rebs, and 100+ assists through his first 28 games.

A quick note to add from the aforementioned statistic is that Doncic was able to record these numbers playing 217 minutes less (910 min to 1127 min) than LeBron James.

Crunch Time

Doncic has proved he can step up in the most crucial moments and lead the NBA in shots made during crunch time. According to The Ringer:

"Doncic leads all players this season with 16 shots to tie or take the lead in the final five minutes, and in overall clutch situations (defined by NBA.com/Stats as in the last five minutes with a five-point margin or less) he’s shooting 24-for-46, including 8-for-21 on 3s. That’s good for a 60.9 percent effective field goal percentage—which gives proper weight to 3-pointers—and places him in historic territory."

Doncic even joined the elite company of Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony by shooting an impressive eFG% (60.9%) in crunch time.

If Doncic at 19 years old can continue to rise to the occasion and step up in crunch time, we all know how dominant he can become when he has a chance to play in the playoffs and the NBA Finals.

Fan Favorite

As expected, Doncic has not only become a fan-favorite in Dallas but around the world as well.

Although he trailed LeBron James in fan votes in second place, the coaches and players elected the All-Stars we’d all expect to start for their respective teams.

Conclusion

It’s fair to say a player of such caliber can easily attract other stars every summer to his team in hopes of competing for an NBA Championship in the near future.

Hopefully, there is still a great chance we will see Luka Doncic competing in the NBA All-Star Game aside from the Skills Competition he has committed to partaking in.

Due to his experience playing against older, bigger, and seasoned players before the NBA, Luka Doncic can be rightfully referred to as a Super Rookie.