Luka Doncic is one of the best and brightest young talents in the game. With career averages of 27.8 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game on 45.9% shooting, Doncic should have a long and successful career ahead of him.
But to say he’s perfect would be a lie, especially at this stage of his career.
One of the biggest problems with Doncic (from a fan’s perspective) is just how much he goes looking for sellouts by the refs — and then complains when he doesn’t get it. Whether it’s from fans, coaches, or fellow players, Luka is always getting dinged by someone for how he deals with the officiating.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, however, Doncic showed a miraculous level of maturity by admitting his mistakes and acknowledging that he needs to do better.
Stephen A. Smith: “What do you feel about folks looking at you, and saying, “You’re complaining a bit too much, your body language is bad, you’re whining a little bit.”
Luka: “I think some of it is true, because you know-especially this year-but I think the last couple of games I’ve been getting better and better. I gotta stop this, I knows it’s not right. But I think more than whining, it’s just wanting to win. We were in a bad spot for 6 losses in a row, and that just makes you do things you don’t want to do. I know I did a lot of things wrong, and I gotta learn from this. I’m still young, and I can learn from this.”
If Doncic can focus less on his dealings with the refs, it could work wonders for the performance of his team. The Mavs, who are 11-17 this season, need Doncic to be all-in if they want any hope of turning things around.
Fortunately, it seems he is willing to hold himself accountable and become the leader his squad needs him to be. When that happens, the Mavs will be a team to fear in the West.
