Luka Doncic is coming under fire on social media for his refusal to pass the ball to a wide-open Kyrie Irving. With the clock winding down at the end of the second quarter in their game against the Utah Jazz, Doncic opted to shoot a heavily contested three-pointer, instead of passing to Irving who was open.
like cmon bro lol swing that shit. https://t.co/mgQHPUmcDq pic.twitter.com/MM4R65a0qQ
— Jordan Laws (@showtimejordan2) January 2, 2024
For those wondering, Doncic missed the shot too, and I wouldn’t have blamed Irving if he had a frustrated reaction afterward. There are times when Luka just needs to give up the ball.
Even if he had made it, you’d still say it was a bad shot. It’s not the kind of look from which I would want to see him let it fly, especially when a shooter like Irving is wide open. No one would fault Doncic if he had no one to pass to, but that wasn’t the case here.
NBA Fans Reacted To Doncic Not Passing The Ball To Irving
NBA fans certainly did not like how selfish Doncic was here. They were rather critical of the Slovenian for not passing the ball to Kyrie.
One can’t believe how someone won’t pass to a wide-open Irving.
bro got KYRIE IRVING wide open n don’t pass what in the world
— Brando (@Brando299) January 2, 2024
A fan says this is why starts don’t want to play with Doncic.
Luka sees why nobody wanna play with him. Brunson left and looking great so is kristaps.
— Jason (@jason23lake) January 2, 2024
One wants Irving to leave the Mavericks and go to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyrie Irving Los Angeles is a beautiful city @KyrieIrving
— عبدالعزيز بن سـعد (@Alkhaldi_A_S) January 2, 2024
A fan said Doncic had to pass the ball there.
https://twitter.com/ChiefOttoSosa/status/1742060466254340156
A fan said LeBron would make that pass 10 times out of 10.
https://twitter.com/fahadtmc/status/1742046002243424260
LeBron James certainly would have passed there and he is a great example for Doncic to follow. James is at his best when he is dominating the ball like Luka, but he adjusted his game when playing alongside Irving.
He played off the ball a fair bit and gave Kyrie the freedom to express himself on the court. Doncic has not been able to do that to the extent that LeBron did, as he still tends to hold on to the ball for far too long.
The Mavericks Are 4-5 In Their Last 9 Games When Doncic And Irving Start
The start of this season gave you some hope, that Doncic and Irving had figured out how to play well together. Luka’s usage rate had gone down and the Mavericks were 6-2 in the first eight games that they both played in. The next nine, though, have seen four wins and five losses. The latest loss came to the Jazz here, as they blew out the Dallas Mavericks 127-90.
Irving, who just returned from a 12-game absence due to a right heel contusion, recorded 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. Doncic, meanwhile, had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 14 assists, and 1 steal. He was 6-20 from the field and 3-13 from beyond the arc.
When your two stars play this poorly, it is pretty hard to win, and the Mavericks have now dropped to 19-15 on the season. It will be very interesting to see if they continue to struggle to win games when both of them are on the court.
In the 16 games they both played last season, Dallas was just 5-11. If this campaign ends with a somewhat similar story, it’ll just give credence to the notion that Doncic can’t play with other stars. He’ll be given that dreaded label of being a solo act, which no player really wants to have.
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