25-under-25: Can Luka Doncic lead the Mavs in the post-Dirk era?

Can Luka Doncic follow up his historic rookie season and get the Dallas Mavericks back to the playoffs?

After trading up for Luka Doncic and trading away future picks and Dennis Smith Jr. for Kristaps Porzingis, the Dallas Mavericks put themselves in a position to be players for the foreseeable future. There’s still a lot of question marks surrounding how Porzingis will bounce back after being away from the game for so long, but one certainty the Mavericks do have is the reigning Rookie of the Year in Doncic.

Doncic came into his rookie season having played a whole season of professional basketball already overseas and appeared to be out of shape when he started the season. That still didn’t stop him from averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game to open his NBA career.

The Slovenian genius showed flashes of what he could be on a nightly basis with his superb court vision, craftiness around the rim and his signature step-back 3-pointer that left opponents in the lurch on a number of occasions. He garnered praise from some of the top players and coaches around the league, and even after Dallas traded away literally the entire starting lineup to the New York Knicks for Porzingis, Doncic still consistently produced. If there was one thing that slowed down Doncic, it was his lack of conditioning and his tendency to turn the ball over at a high rate.

We know one of those things won’t be a problem coming into his second season. Doncic already jokingly promised Mark Cuban to be in better shape at the start of the upcoming season and depending on how much stock you put in offseason Instagram workout videos and photos, then Doncic is keeping his promise.

He looks slimmer than last season, with some saying he’s lost up to 20 pounds this summer, and in an interview with Mavs.com, Doncic said that the immediate results he’s felt from losing the weight is he feels faster.

If that’s the case, then watch out, league.

Doncic’s sluggishness didn’t affect his offensive game tremendously last season, as he dispelled the “he’s too slow for the NBA” rumors rather quickly, but it made him a huge liability on the defensive side of the ball. He often looked lost or confused on that end of the floor, losing his man on numerous occasions throughout a game. For him to take that next leap in his game, he’ll need to at least become a competent defender.

If he’s actually shed some weight to help with his defense, that’s a step in the right direction. It’ll also help with his first step to the rim. He’s no DSJ when it comes to blowing past defenders to then posterize them at the rim, but last season he was able to get by most guys. If his speed and agility improve with that weight loss, that will only help him against some of the league’s best defenders.

As far as turnovers go, that’s to be expected with any young point guard. It isn’t great that he averaged nearly four turnovers a game, but his decision-making will improve with age, and more importantly, chemistry.

The Mavericks have lacked continuity ever since winning it all in 2011 with major turnover year-to-year. Establishing chemistry will be a must for this team with such a young nucleus, and for Doncic to grow and improve.

That chemistry will be on display with Doncic and Porzingis this season and for years to come after signing the former Knick to a five-year deal. It truly is a dream scenario to pair Doncic with Porzingis, who can not only become a serious pick-and-roll threat but also step out and shoot the 3-ball at a consistent clip. Of course, this all hinges on Porzingis’ health, but if he’s as ready to go as he says he is then Dallas will have one of the most feared duos in the league that is also incredibly young.

Doncic won’t only have Porzingis to run plays with. The Mavericks added Seth Curry back to the team, who will become another shooter Doncic can kick it out to on the 3-point line to knock down shots, as well as Delon Wright to share the ball-handling responsibilities with.

It might be crazy to expect Doncic to repeat his stat line from last season, but with a slightly better team than last year, and many people considering the Mavericks to be one of the teams to fight for the 8-seed in the West, Doncic will need to put up similar numbers if not better to put Dallas in that position.

The crazy thing is, last season only appeared to be a scratch on the surface of what Doncic can do. With a legitimate running mate in Porzingis, more skilled players surrounding him and one of the best coaches in the league, Luka Doncic could very well outdo himself this season.

The insider’s perspective

by Kohl Rast

Luka Doncic just put up one of the best statistical rookie seasons the NBA has ever seen. He did this despite having an inconsistent, underperforming starting lineup around him. If the addition of real playmakers isn’t enough to get you excited, he has dropped several pounds this summer as well. Adding speed and strength to his shiftiness could make him one of the most dangerous players in the league at 20 years old.

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