How the Dallas Mavericks are making sure Luka Doncic avoids a sophomore slump
Mark Cuban didn’t expect to see Luka Doncic be so good so fast.
But the Dallas Mavericks owner isn’t surprised to see his second-year guard take his skills to another level.
“No, not when we saw how hard he was working over the summer,” Cuban said. “The question was … like any rookie right after their first year and they’re worn down, how hard would they work over the summer? He’s a worker. That’s what makes him. He’s smart. He understands. And he’s driven. He’s got that Dirk-level mentality of just wanting to be the best.”
Speaking of being the best, Doncic only needs one more triple-double to tie Jason Kidd’s franchise career record of 21. Kidd had 21 in 500 games. Doncic has 20 in 110 games. Sure, the game has changed from Kidd’s era, but no one else in the NBA is collecting triple-doubles at the same rate as Doncic.
And Cuban has admitted that he didn’t see it coming.
“No, but I’m happy he’s got them and I hope he gets a whole lot more,” said Cuban, who pointed out that Doncic’s playing time has been altered this season. Instead of playing the entire first and third quarters, coach Rick Carlisle is giving him a few more minutes of rest. Cuban thinks that will help with some of the Mavs’ struggles in closing teams out late. It worked Friday night when a fresh Doncic helped hold off the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I think we wore him down,” Cuban said of how they first approached Luka. “We got so excited about Luka at 20 and thought he could play all day. We did the analysis and now you see him come out of games. He doesn’t play the whole quarters anymore. I think that contributed to a lot of the end of the game issues that we had.”
Doncic, of course, would prefer to never come out.
“Of course, every player says that,” Cuban said. “He knows. Trust me. When he has fresh legs in the fourth quarter …”
The Mavericks have won four straight and host the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. There’s a chance forward Kristaps Porzingis could return after missing the past 10 games with a knee injury.
