Luka Doncic is the sole and undisputed leader of the Dallas Mavericks. The influence in the game says it, the numbers – he is the best scorer in the NBA -, and the defeats of his teammates when the Slovenian is missing. The Mavs have not won in the four absences of ’77’ (0-4) and against the Oklahoma City Thunder (120-109) they showed that without their reference they have a lot to work on. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, with 33 points, passed them.
Doncic, who averages 34 points with almost 50& on the shot, caused a loss in Dallas’ back-to-back and they could never beat the Thunder. Christian Wood (27+16), Spencer Dinwiddie (21+8) or Tim Hardaway Jr. (19 points) shone, but the rest did not exceed 10 points.
And at the moment of truth, there is a worsening of the majority of companions. Without Doncic on court, only Reggie Bullock (from 34.7% without the 35%), Davis Bertans (from 40.6% to 41.7%) and Javale McGee (from 40.6% to 41.7%) improved their shooting performance. 57.1% to 83.3%). And, of all, only Christian Wood truly assumes the role of him. He takes at least six shots with a minimum of 40% accuracy.
Altogether, it’s a clear worsening. The players take worse shots, score less and lose that Doncic factor to be able to ‘pull the car’ when the ‘ball burns’, to be able to generate other advantages for the players and to be able to contribute in more facets than pure scoring. In the last course, Doncic missed 20 games. In the regular season, without him, the Mavs managed to border 50% (8-9), while in the Playoffs the team grew and won two games with only one loss.
