No debate: Luka Doncic all but clinches rookie of the year with seventh triple-double
Let’s be real here.
Luka Doncic is almost certainly going to win the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award no matter how the final eight games play out.
Doncic added more support to his claim on the hardware Tuesday night in the Dallas Mavericks’ 125-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center.
He recorded his seventh triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists
The Mavs were going for their first consecutive wins since Feb. 6 after blowing out the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. And they appeared on their way, leading by eight with less than five minutes remaining. But Sacramento outscored Dallas 21-11 the final 4:35 for the win.
Doncic is the fourth rookie in NBA history to have at least seven triple-doubles. The others include Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Ben Simmons, who had 12 a year ago. Doncic is two triple-doubles shy of tying Jason Kidd’s franchise record of nine in 1996.
When Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle was told Doncic tied Magic Johnson with his seventh triple-double as a rookie, he tried to put it in perspective.
“I’ll put it this way: He’s one of the top players in the game, on a lot of levels,” he said. “He’s still young, he’s still learning, but his impact is undeniable.”
No disrespect to Kings coach Dave Joerger, who touted his rookie, Marvin Bagley III, before Tuesday’s game, but this is a done deal.
In fact, Bagley is likely to finish in voting behind Doncic and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, who has lately been on fire.
Young, who attended Oklahoma, is averaging 18.7 points and 7.9 assists a game. He has scored more than 30 points six times in the past month, including his past two games. He led the Hawks with 33 points and 12 assists in a win at New Orleans Tuesday night. But it’s probably too late for Young to turn the tide among voters. Doncic has remained steady, even as he’s battled fatigue and nagging injuries.
Tuesday’s game wasn’t his most impressive. His 3-point shooting has suffered in the past month and he was 0 for 9 from the arc Tuesday. But he made up for it closer to the rim, making 9 of 11 and sinking 10 of 11 free throws.
“I just think he has to stay with it. We’re spending a lot of time looking at his 3s and his step-back 3s,” Carlisle said. “I’m encouraging him to take the step-backs, provided he creates good separation and balance. I thought he had both tonight. Five or six of them were in and out.”
Bagley is averaging 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game after being taken second overall in last June’s draft. Top pick Deandre Ayton has a strong argument for votes, too. Ayton has started in 68 games and is averaging 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns. Bagley had 14 points and two rebounds against the Mavs.
“I don’t get into ranking classes very often. I’ve got the rookie of the year on my roster and just try to get him better every single day,” Joerger said before the game. “His level of talent pushes coaches to make sure we’re on point and challenging him every day. He’s just been a joy to coach. He’s the rookie of the year, on my roster.”
Rookie race
Here’s a look at some of the top NBA rookies (the top five players drafted last June) vying for Rookie of the Year honors, including the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, with per-game averages:
Player | Games | Starts | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Luka Doncic, Mavs | 69 | 69 | 21.0 | 7.6 | 5.8 |
Trae Young, Hawks | 75 | 75 | 18.7 | 3.6 | 7.9 |
Deandre Ayton, Suns | 69 | 68 | 16.3 | 10.2 | 1.2 |
Marvin Bagley III, Kings | 55 | 2 | 14.7 | 7.4 | 1.0 |
Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies | 58 | 56 | 13.8 | 4.7 | 1.1 |
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 10:09 PM.
