Dallas Mavericks: The legend of Luka Doncic is just beginning
By Todd Dudas
The legend of Luka Doncic is just beginning for the Dallas Mavericks
“Luka!” “Luka!” Luka!” That is what a capacity crowd of 19,000-plus fans would have sounded like at American Airlines Center in Dallas after Luka Doncic hit a 3-point game-winning shot in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoffs series against the LA Clippers to even the series at 2-2.
Luka is going. to be a legend in the game when his career is all said and done. He’s only in his second season and he’s already considered one of the top 10, at least, players in the NBA. After Game 4, Luka is now only the third player in NBA history to finish with a triple-double (43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists) and hit the game-winning shot.
At the age of 40, I’ve been watching the NBA for almost 30 years (since age 11). I’ve never seen a 21-year-old with the talent of this young man. On the offensive end, there isn’t anything he can’t do. Not even LeBron James was not as polished as Doncic at 21. Michael Jordan, at 21, was a better defender.
However, they did not have the offensive prowess that Luka Doncic has.
Luka is averaging 8.6 assists per game in the playoffs; he’s essentially averaging a triple-double in the playoffs, to go along with his 30 points and 10 rebounds through the first five games against the Clippers.
A 21-year-old averaging a triple-double in his first playoff series; that’s absolutely incredible.
Perhaps one of the best attributes of Luka is that he isn’t only just a stat-stuffer. He also makes everyone around him better, just as both LeBron and Jordan did. It’s a shame that Kristaps Porzingis is battling knee soreness. The Clippers might be too much for an injured Dallas Mavericks team to overcome, even with Luka playing at such an absurd level.
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One thing is for sure, though, these Mavs, led by Luka, are not going anywhere. Even if they lose in the first round against the Clippers, this is only the beginning for both Doncic and the Mavericks. They should be a championship contender for years to come, assuming the front office makes the necessary moves to continue to surround Luka Doncic with justifiable talent.