Don’t count out Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks
Now that basketball is officially back and that we know the NBA playoff will be played inside an Orlando bubble, you can’t help but try to predict which teams will benefit the most from such circumstances. One potential team that could take full advantage is the Dallas Mavericks.
Led by the versatile Luka Doncic, who has quickly emerged into one of the top 5 players in the NBA, you can’t help but wonder if t his team is ready for a deep playoff run. However, the big question for this team revolves around whether Luka is enough to bring this team a championship.
Perhaps the answer to that question won’t come this season, but in 2-3 more years, there’s no question that this team will be considered a championship-caliber.
The Dallas Mavericks are close, but still need a piece or two
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Dallas is close, and I don’t think that’s a hot take. They still might be one more key player and a more defensive-mindset away, but this is a team that will be competing for a championship sooner rather than later. It’s all about Luka too.
At just 21 years of age, I’m not sure if we’ve ever seen a player this young (maybe since LeBron James) and talented. Luka is a natural scorer, is a high-level distributor, and a flat-out playmaker in the open court. Even though he’s still a work in progress on the defensive side of the court, he more than makes up for it everywhere else.
Before the NBA’s hiatus, Luka was averaging 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists per game. His Player Efficiency Rating was 27.7. Absolute gaudy numbers for such a young star. You could make the argument that Luka has had a better statistical season than LeBron this year.
But the Mavs are more than just Luka. His support system includes Kristaps Porzingis, who is considered one of the most talented young bigs in the game. What makes this team so dangerous is that Kristaps is a player that can go off on any night as well.
The Dallas Mavericks are doing an exceptional job in their rebuild. With two strong building blocks in place, this is a team that could be a move away from real title contention in the Western Conference.
The Mavs are coming and, soon enough, Luka Doncic is going to be leading the charge for a championship contender.