Luka Doncic is 20 years old . Twenty.
It is good to remember every so often to understand and put into context the amount of things you are doing this season. The Slovenian was elected best player of the Western Conference last week, scored 41 points against the Rockets , has the best PER in the NBA , second highest scorer ... And endless records that have put his name in the race for the MVP
But Luka Doncic is 20 years old. Twenty.
His Dallas Mavericks are the eighth best team in the NBA , fifth in the West. They are, therefore, in the second step of the league. They are good, but not yet so good. With a young team led by two stars that do not add even 45 years between them ( 20 Luka and 24 Porzingis ), the Texas franchise has many steps to take and many steps to climb in the hierarchy of the best league in the world.
The first was given on the night of the 2018 draft by selecting Doncic, the second last year, when he entered the keys to the franchise and let him be what he wanted to be during his first course. The third came this summer, with the farewell of Nowitzki and the arrival of Porzingis, theoretical natural heir of '41' in his position. The fourth was to surround Doncic with role-playing players who could maximize Slovenian production and potential: Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway, Maxi Kleber, Delon Wright ...
The fifth was for Doncic: assume his leadership and take a step forward, not only in responsibility and regularity, also in numbers. And he has done it faster than anyone could imagine. 30.1 points, ten rebounds and 9.5 assists . The sixth directly implied Doncic's need for improvement: competing. The Mavericks stayed away from Playoffs last year, so the goal of this season is very clear, as Luka himself has made it known: play the postseason . For now, 11-6, fifths of your conference.
In their last game against Los Angeles Clippers of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George , big favorites to get the ring next June, Doncic and his Mavericks discovered some of the next steps they should take as a star and as a franchise: bring your competitiveness to next level. For the former Madrid player, that happens by continuing to learn, keep improving and being able to solve complicated situations against teams with as much defensive talent as the Clippers. Those of Doc Rivers left the '77' of Dallas in 4 of 14 in shots, 0 of 8 in triples and seven losses to take the victory of Texas: 99-114.
For Dallas, that 'next level' is linked to the role players who have to accompany Doncic. Kawhi (28 points against the Mavs), in addition to George (26), has Lou Williams (21), Montrezl Harrell (12) and good defenders like Beverley. On how Mark Cuban , owner of Dallas, is able to make a level jump to the squad during the coming seasons will depend on the sporting success that Doncic can have beyond the individual achievements that are presupposed: All-Star for many years.
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