As seen with Donovan Mitchell earlier, I’m not a fan of over-hyping a successful rookie season. But Luka Doncic is no simple flash in the pan. Doncic didn’t capture the nation’s attention and the Rookie of the Year Award by playing highlight reel basketball, he did it by being well-rounded and fundamentally sound.
There are virtually no holes in Doncic’s game. While I’m not entirely ruling out a sophomore slump (ahem, Jayson Tatum), I believe his play style makes that a very unlikely possibility.
Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists as a rookie, inspiring Mark Cuban to go out and get him a running mate in Kristaps Porzingis. Who could blame him? These are astounding numbers for a rookie.
Among the entire 2018 draft class, Doncic averaged the most points, second most assists and third most rebounds. His shooting could certainly be improved, after a below-average outing in 3-point (32.7 percent) and free-throw (71.3 percent) attempts. Despite this, Doncic still rated out with a middle of the road 54.5 true shooting percentage which is a testament to how good he was on offense.
The Mavericks re-tooled this offseason and are likely looking to make a postseason push. Their success is going to be just as dependent on Porzingis’ health as it will be on Doncic’s consistent dominance.