Luka Doncic finally got out of the first round of the playoffs this season, something that had been used as an argument against him by his critics. He averaged over 30 points in the playoffs, with the Dallas Mavericks falling in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
And while he earned a lot of praise, especially following the Game 7 demolition of the Phoenix Suns, the performance in the Conference Finals led to some more criticism for the Mavericks star. His defense and his poor motor were the main issues with his play. He took accountability for his poor performance in the last game of the Conference Finals after the season ended for the Mavs.
While there is no shame in losing at this stage this early in his career, there are those that feel Doncic could have done even more for his team than he did. Stephen A. Smith highlighted the issue with the shape he’s in on ESPN when discussing the Dallas star:
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“As great as Luka is, he’s held himself and the Dallas Mavericks back from being all he can be and all they can be. Because as great as he is, he leaves something on the floor, because he’s never in shape.”
Doncic has struggled to come in ready for the season in both of his last 2 seasons and played himself into shape, but that’s something that he will have to improve. He isn’t on the necessary fitness level to play on both ends of the court as well, he was exploited on defense several times during the playoffs.
However, these are learning moments for a player that has great potential, as Luka does. If he can take the next step and get into elite shape, then there would be nothing stopping the Dallas star from going even further in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
