Despite needing to win out these final two games of the season, the Dallas Mavericks have essentially waved the white flag on their season by sitting several key guys (including Kyrie Irving) for Friday’s match against the Chicago Bulls. There is one catch, however, that has the entire NBA community scratching their heads.
For some reason, after previously announcing his intentions to play this game, Doncic will only play a single quarter of the game before sitting for the rest of the night.
Sources: Luka Doncic will sit out after the first quarter tonight vs. the Bulls.
Five key Mavs, including Kyrie Irving, were ruled out this morning.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 7, 2023
Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic: “He’s going to play the first quarter and then he’s done for the season.”
Kidd then backed off the “for the season” declaration a bit, but that’s the plan.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 7, 2023
It’s a bizarre middle-ground strategy that really makes no sense. What’s the point of only playing Luka for one quarter? Whose idea was it in the first place?
With these questions unanswered, fans stormed the replies to express confusion and grief over the situation.
A team with a chance at a play in spot, doing everything to avoid getting the play in spot. Your league is a joke Adam Silver.
— RGT 85 (@RGT_85) April 7, 2023
Several fans noted that Luka has a quiet tendency of missing games, as his current streak stands at just 8.
Luka needs to keep his consecutive games streak going at …
/checks notes
… 8?
— Dan Besbris (@DanBesbris) April 7, 2023
Another fan asked for the point of this decision, but nobody provided a real answer.
He might as well sit the whole game what’s the point
— Mr. Chosen 1 (@LebronJames_PR) April 7, 2023
Even Nekias Duncan couldn’t comprehend why Doncic would even bother to suit up at all.
genuinely: if he's sitting out after the first quarter — and i'm 99.9% sure that isn't his decision — why is he playing? https://t.co/qIuQ3AgEdr
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) April 7, 2023
The season has obviously not gonna according to plan for Luka, but fans always believed he’d ride things out until the very end rather than just throw in the towel for the sake of some extra rest down the stretch.
While the odds are still low for Dallas to make the play-in, they still have a chance to make the cut. Sadly, it seems that not even they would bet on themselves to win a best-of-seven series.
Is Luka Part Of The Problem In Dallas?
With the team’s ongoing struggles, some are beginning to ask if Luka himself could be the problem for the Mavs. As the leader and go-to option for Dallas, he’s the face of the franchise and they will only go as far as he takes them.
But his maturity and leadership ability have become major question marks at this point in his career.
“A lot. I’m the leader of this team,” Doncic said on how much blame he puts on himself. “The one to blame is me, so I take a lot.”
Thanks to Luka, the Mavericks still have some hope for the future, but they will never get very far unless they can build a proper roster around him.
This season is probably a lost cause already, and this team has to do whatever it can to avoid a similar outcome next year.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
