With the Mavericks unlikely to make the play-in tournament, there was a lot of noise about the team potentially shutting down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the final games of the season.
But after being listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Bulls, Doncic has seemingly changed his mind and has committed to suiting up in Chicago during a special Slovenian celebration event in the arena.
“Luka Doncic is following through on his vow to play as long as Mavs have even the slimmest postseason hopes,” reported Tim MacMahon. “A bit more motivation for Doncic to perform vs. Bulls: It’s ‘I Feel Slovenia’ night at the AAC, and I’m told he doesn’t want to disappoint his countrymen who are here.”
Luka Doncic is following through on his vow to play as long as Mavs have even the slimmest postseason hopes.
A bit more motivation for Doncic to perform vs. Bulls: It’s “I Feel Slovenia” night at the AAC, and I’m told he doesn’t want to disappoint his countrymen who are here. pic.twitter.com/6yv3Cv4zR7
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 7, 2023
A lot needs to go right for the Mavs to lock up a play-in spot. Besides winning against the Bulls tonight, they will also need a win against the Spurs on Sunday and a Thunder loss to move into 10th in the standings.
Having Luka against Chicago will obviously boost their chances of a win, but it remains to be seen if he can carry his team (who will be without Kyrie, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, and Christian Wood).
But no matter what happens between now and Sunday, the Mavericks have more than just this season to worry about. The truth is, if they don’t shape up soon and build a contender around Luka, they could lose him for good and see the destruction of everything they’ve built so far.
What Will The Future Hold For The Mavericks?
Kyrie Irving’s fate has yet to be decided, but how the Mavericks handle his upcoming free agency will no doubt determine how they navigate moving forward. At the very least, we know that the Mavs need to have a co-star for Luka, whether it’s Kyrie or someone else.
“What they need to do is figure out a way for Luka to play with superstars,” said NBA Insider Chris Broussard. “Right now, it’s my turn, your turn. That’s what it is between him and Kyrie. They got to figure out how to incorporate Luka into an offense that is not just based around him,” the analyst added. “Because LeBron, Harden, Jordan, Westbrook, Oscar, none of them could win championships just as a one-man show.”
This is a critical period for the Mavericks, and how they navigate these next few weeks may just determine their success for years to come.
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