Luka Doncic didn’t have the best time on Tuesday night as his Dallas Mavericks team lost a crucial Game 5 against the Suns in Phoenix. The Slovenian phenom has received his share of criticism throughout the series, be it for a couple of poor shooting displays, his defense, or his occasional flopping. With how good he has been since his second season in the NBA, expectations are high and it’s easy to forget that he is just 23 years of age.
Doncic is likely to be named to the All-NBA First Team for the 3rd season in a row. He has again carried the Mavericks to the 4th seed in the Western Conference. His playmaking ability and elite post moves make him an unstoppable machine on offense at times, but his main weapon is the step-back three. When that is falling, no defense in the league can do much with Luka.
What makes it even more amazing is that Doncic claimed he never even practiced the step-back till his first season in the NBA. He shared the story on the Old Man And The Three podcast with JJ Redick.
Luka Doncic: “I didn’t really use the step-back in Europe. But then, I did it like, against Houston in my first year and they said, ‘Oh, you have a great step-back’. And since then, I’ve been doing the step-back.”
JJ Redick: “You did it against Houston like you did it in the game? You hadn’t practiced it, really?”
Luka Doncic: “No I never really practiced it before, the step-back. Since then everybody’s like ‘Oh, you have a great step-back’. So I’ve been practicing step-backs. It’s working really good.”
The ability to try things in the middle of NBA games and then just add them to your skill set is indicative of just how special Doncic is. Even if the Mavericks can’t get out of the second round this season, Luka has shown the promise to become one of the best players of all time, he’s already one of the best in the league at 23.
