If you ask any Mavericks fan, success begins and ends with Luka Doncic this season. But according to former league All-Star Kenyon Martin, Kyrie Irving should be the alpha dog instead given some of Doncic’s glaring flaws…
“Luka is the fourth-best player in the NBA compared to that bullsh*t list the other day, he’s in the MVP conversation, but I don’t think he’s the best player on his team,” said Martin on the Gilbert Arenas show. “If you give Kyrie the ball first [in a 1v1], Luka won’t touch the ball. Luka can’t guard this goddamn camera stand.”
— Chris Scorch (@ChrisScorch) October 21, 2023
The Mavericks have essentially handed Luka the keys of their future and it’s no secret that they intend to build around him for years to come. But after Kyrie Irving’s arrival, Luka’s status as the best scorer on the team was immediately challenged and some even believe he should take a back seat to Irving, who already has one championship to his name.
Who Is The Mavericks’ Best Player?
By his second season in the NBA, Luka Doncic was widely regarded as an NBA superstar. That year, he averaged 28.8 points per game on 46% shooting while leading the Mavericks to the 7th-best record in the West. of course, that was only just a taste of what was to come for Luka. In his most recent season, arguably his best yet, he averaged a career-high 32.4 points and 8 assists per game. At only 24 years old, Doncic certainly has his limitations (especially on defense) but he has all the makings of an NBA legend, and his skills when it comes to scoring and playmaking are truly unparalleled in the modern NBA.
When you compare his career so far to that of Kyrie Irving, it’s clear that the Mavericks made the right choice with Doncic. As good as Kyrie can be as a ball handler and shooter, he has a tendency to stir up trouble behind the scenes and his knack for drama has made him one of the legaue’s most untrustworthy stars. So, despite the opinionof Kenyon Martin, Luka Doncic is the better overall player right now and it’s his leadership that will determine the trajectory of ths season for the Mavericks.
Uncertainty Grows In Dallas
The 202-23 campaign saw the Mavs finish 11th in the West and outside the play-in tournament just months after pulling off the blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving. It was far from the season the Mavericks were hoping for, but there was nothing they could do to change it after giving up their last assets to the Brooklyn Nets.
Over the summer, Dallas didn’t do much to improve their core aside from adding former Celtics swingman Grant Williams, who brings shooting and much-needed perimiter defense to the rotation. It remains to be seen how Williams will fit with Luka and Irving this season, but there is a sense of growing uenase with the whole situation. Now that Kyrie is locked into a long-term deal, there is no way out of this for the Mavericks. And if they can’t find success this season, it could set the stage for an ugly divorce down the road. Everything hinges on this campaign for the Mavericks, and Luka will be the one who make sor breaks them in the end.
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