Luka Doncic had a decent year last season, and he made it to the playoffs for the second time in his career. Although the Mavs were eliminated in the first round of the postseason, Luka was not at fault.
He had a sensational series averaging 35.7 points while playing 40.1 minutes in seven games. Following the early exit from the playoffs, Doncic shifted his focus to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Unfortunately, the young star missed winning a medal by a whisker as Slovenia finished fourth in men’s basketball. With the new season starting soon, the European superstar might need to adjust a few things to lead his team to success. Luka realizes that and Dallas Mavericks analyst Grant Afseth revealed what the franchise superstar wants to improve in the 2021-22 NBA season.
“Luka Doncic says he learned from the playoffs and Olympics that he needs to be ‘more vocal’ as a leader with his teammates.”
Luka Doncic says he learned from the playoffs and Olympics that he needs to be “more vocal” as a leader with his teammates.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 27, 2021
When it comes to individual ability, Doncic has already proved his worth to everyone. ESPN expects him to perform even better than Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the 2021-22 NBA season.
But when it comes to team success, Doncic still needs to become a much better leader. The very first step for that would be to be more vocal about it and help his teammates improve.
It is great to know that he is aware of that. Once he develops that skill, it will be exciting to see where the Mavericks end up in the new season. Can they win the championship as of now? Probably not. Can they have a decent playoff run? Of course.
For this to happen, along with Luka, other players on the Mavs also need to elevate their game. It appears that Kristaps Porzingis is aware of this.
“Tim Hardaway Jr. says that Kristaps Porzingis ‘wants to get back to that all-star season’ and ‘he wants to make the city happy.'”
Tim Hardaway Jr. says that Kristaps Porzingis "wants to get back to that all-star season" and "he wants to make the city happy.”
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 27, 2021
Since joining the Mavericks, Porzingis’ form has dipped. The biggest reason for it was a string of injuries that forced him to be sidelined time after time.
If he can stay in perfect shape this season, he might finally get to the level that Mavericks fans expect him to be.
A healthy Doncic-Porzingis duo can give most opposing players a run for their money. This might finally be the year where we get to witness that for the entire season.
