Ever since Luka Doncic joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, the transition from European basketball to NBA basketball has been seamless for him. Through his first five seasons in Dallas, Doncic holds averages of 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 330 career games. However, just because the NBA’s game has been an easy adjustment for Doncic doesn’t mean it’s the best way to play.
“I think it’s a very different kind of basketball,” Doncic said in a press conference before his Mavs went on to lose a preseason matchup against his former club Real Madrid, 127-123.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic takes on his former club Real Madrid in a preseason exhibition game.
Grant Afseth, DallasBasketball.com
“In the end, you have a wider court, and the 3-point line is further away. But I think that in Europe you play more as a team, that is, in fewer minutes you play more as a team. The plays are very important. I think there are not many plays in the NBA, so team basketball is very important.”
In a way, Doncic is right, because aside from spamming pick-and-rolls, you don’t see a lot of creative plays being called throughout the league on a nightly basis … at least from our Mavs goggles point of view. It has become iso-heavy, but for that to change, it takes just as much effort from the players as it does from the coaches.
Now that the Mavs appear to have their center for the present and the future in Dereck Lively II, as well as several other versatile pieces like Grant Williams, Seth Curry and Derrick Jones Jr., it will be up to head coach Jason Kidd to be more creative when it comes to his offense … and it’ll be up to Doncic to make good use of that creativity.