Luka Doncic is widely regarded as one of the most gifted offensive players in the NBA today. Considering how effective he is during official matches, there is enough evidence to suggest that he would dominate during team practice as well.
In a recent podcast, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving attested to Doncic’s dominance during practice sessions and recalled a story involving the superstar on a recent livestream. He said:
“He’s giving you probably like 60, 18, and 18. I witnessed him give somebody 24 points in three minutes.”
As impressive as this story is, Irving didn’t reveal who was guarding Doncic. However, a sound bite provided by Mavs assistant GM Michael Finley gave more context to the story.
“So one day in practice,” recalled Finley. “A player in our team, I won’t call his name out, but it was Grant Williams, who decided he wanted to get under Luka’s skin. He thought Luka didn’t come that day ready to practice.”
“To make a long story short, we had a scrimmage going, and he’s talking trash to Luka up and down the court. So finally, Luka says, ‘Okay.’ And I tell you, Luka went on a 26-6 run by himself. You can ask anybody. I’m not exaggerating.”
Finley continued by painting a picture of how Doncic showed Williams the sheer expanse of his offensive arsenal, and to top things off, he wasn’t even talking back. With guests in attendance at the practice, Doncic chose to put on a show.
In light of what the 26-year-old superstar achieved during his short career with the Dallas Mavericks, the Mavs made a mistake in trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Although they acquired a generational two-way big man in Anthony Davis in return, replacing a talent like Doncic is virtually impossible.
Nevertheless, with half a season under their belts, both Doncic and the Mavs have moved on from the decision. As the 26-year-old superstar continues his offseason conditioning to get in shape for the upcoming season, Dallas charts out the next steps forward.
Having acquired an immensely gifted young forward in Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Mavericks will look to nurture and mold him into their franchise cornerstone.
The next season presents an interesting outlook for the Mavericks. While they have a solid roster in place, they will be shorthanded heading into the campaign.
With Irving expected to miss a significant amount of time due to delays in injury recovery, the team could face some struggles. But if Davis’ health holds up and Flagg shows positive growth through the season, the Mavs could still be a competitive team in the West.
