Luka Doncic is widely viewed as a top-tier talent, and many people believe he will become a generational player. At this point, Doncic is certainly giving the Mavericks the production of a superstar, and he averaged 27.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 8.6 APG throughout the 2020-21 season. He’s already a two-time All-Star, and it looks like he might even push for the MVP award in the future.
While it is obvious to everyone that Luka Doncic is good right now, that wasn’t clear at the time of the 2018 NBA Draft. There were multiple prospects picked ahead of the Slovenian star, and some even claimed that he was a “second-round pick”.
On a recent Twitter Spaces, Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki revealed that even the Dallas Mavericks “didn’t know what to expect” and that they had “no idea” that Doncic would be able to do what he’s doing.
Dirk, after he saw Luka logged into his NBA Twitter Spaces convo this morning:
"That’s my guy. Hey, Luka, if you’re listening. I’m so happy and proud of him, how he’s developed the first couple years already into one of the best players in the league.”
Dirk's full quote: pic.twitter.com/QYDkFMfrcS
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) October 22, 2021
When we drafted him, I think we didn’t know what to expect from him. We had no idea he was going to be this good. How he reads the game, how big he is, his shot is a lot better than we thought, his in-between game, the runners the post ups. He is the full package at such a young age, and it’s been incredible to watch for me, and obviously all the Mavs fans, how much he knows the game and how much he sees at a young age. I feel like it usually comes with experience after playing in the league for five, six, seven, eight years. But the way he reads the game is on another level, so I’m super happy the Mavs signed him to an extension, and we’ll have him around for a long, long time.
Dirk Nowitzki has previously claimed that Luka Doncic is already better than him in his prime, and it’s clear he has a high opinion of Doncic’s basketball abilities. While Luka Doncic hasn’t led his team to a championship like Dirk Nowitzki yet, his talent suggests that he could do it in the future.
The Dallas Mavericks will hope for another elite season from Luka Doncic, and it is clear that he will be their focus offensively. Hopefully, we see Luka Doncic lead the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs once again, and perhaps this is the year we see him win his first playoff series.
