I felt major FOMO on Saturday. As I watched Steph Curry and Klay Thompson rain 3s at Oracle Arena, Luka Doncic was making his Mavericks debut in Dallas. It was only an exhibition against a middling team from China led by Justin Hamilton. And Doncic, the no. 3 overall pick, has already played better games on bigger stages against better competition overseas. But after two teams passed on Doncic on draft day, and a third gave up Doncic’s rights in a trade, a divide was created around the 19-year-old Slovenian’s career before he ever played a second in the NBA. Saturday, Doncic quickly confirmed why so many gushed over his game leading into the draft: He dropped 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting with two assists, six rebounds, and three blocks. There is nothing more exciting than the feeling of hope a new star player can bring to a franchise, and Doncic provided that to Dallas in his first game in a Mavs uniform. Luka’s performance Saturday doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Doncic sent NBA Twitter into a frenzy when he executed a behind-the-back crossover and kissed a tough fadeaway off the glass, but his defender on the play was Hamilton, a journeyman who didn’t play in the NBA last season. Still, the game was a reminder of why the Mavs traded up on draft night to get him. After back-to-back years in the lottery and walking the line between a proper send-off for Dirk Nowitzki and turning the page to a new era, the future looks bright again in Dallas. And because of talented young players like Doncic and upcoming cap flexibility, it might not take the Mavs all that long to get back into the playoff mix. 2018-19 NBA Preview Check out all of The Ringer’s coverage leading up to opening tip As noted to me by The Ringer’s Jason Gallagher, a passionate Mavericks fan, the team was 12-38 last season in games that were within five points in the final five minutes. If that seems like a lot of close losses, it’s because it is. No other team has had more than 37 since 1996-97, the first recorded season for this stat. (The teams with 37 are the 2006-07 Celtics and the 2012-13 Wizards.) The Mavs won only 24 games last season, which helped their lottery odds, but they were outscored by only 3.3 points per 100 possessions, which usually equates to about 33 wins. So, they still weren’t good. But they also weren’t terrible. The Mavs were a gritty group driven by a blend of proven veterans like Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews and undrafted free agents fighting for a chance such as Salah Mejri and Maxi Kleber. They shot a ton of 3s, and trailed only the Rockets and Nets in shares of field goal attempts from downtown. Their half-court offense was actually solid, ranking 12th in points per possession, per Synergy. But their defense couldn’t get stops, and they played at such a slow, deliberate pace that their transition chances were limited. Now point guard Dennis Smith Jr., the no. 9 pick from 2017, is one year older after an impressive rookie season, and they’ve added Doncic and DeAndre Jordan, both of whom can help solve their primary issues on each end of the floor. The Mavs attempted the league’s lowest share of shot attempts in the restricted area, according to Cleaning the Glass, and they were 27th in free throw rate. Doncic is advanced at using his hefty frame to create and absorb contact while attacking the rim; it’s a necessary skill, since he lacks the foot speed to blow by opponents and the verticality to dunk through traffic. And you already know Jordan is a backboard destroyer. Jordan signed a one-year, $22.9 million contract with the Mavericks and will play the Tyson Chandler role at center: screening and initiating dribble handoffs, then flying to the rim for explosive dunks. Jordan gives Doncic and Smith a major target in Rick Carlisle’s offense, which tended to lean heavily on the pick-and-roll during Chandler’s seasons with the Mavs. If Dallas wants to adopt Houston’s extreme system, it certainly has the pieces to give it a try with Jordan starring as Clint Capela, and Doncic and Smith as versions of James Harden and Chris Paul. With Barnes, Matthews, and a collection of younger players, the Mavs can fill the gaps with 3-and-D talent. Jordan will help Doncic and Smith, and Doncic and Smith will help each other. Smith has been a ball-dominant player his entire life, but he’s produced when called upon off the ball. He shot 36.8 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s and excelled on cuts. He logged only 23 possessions cutting last season, and shot 13-for-16 on plays that led to lobs. Doncic can alleviate the pressure on Smith to run the offense, so it’ll be on Smith to see openings in the defense and cut for easy baskets. Doncic can find him. If there’s one thing Doncic didn’t get to show in his debut, it’s his passing. Doncic is already advanced at reading pick-and-rolls, changing speeds, and creating angles to throw dagger passers above and through the defense. Smith is also no slouch; his dunks will get him on highlight reels, but he’s a shifty ball handler who has progressed since college in making quick decisions. Jalen Brunson, the third pick of this year’s second round, is another young player at point guard. In today’s age of positionless basketball, it’s a major bonus to have four or five players on the court who can run the offense. The Western Conference is so stacked that Dallas will top out as a scrappy, lovable team that can finish somewhere around 10th place. A team with Barnes as its best player isn’t a West playoff team. With that said, Barnes, something of a forgotten man since leaving Golden State, defends well and is used in a variety of offensive roles. If Dallas’s young players do develop into stars, then Barnes will be the perfect glue guy just like he was in Golden State, only with additional iso-scoring skills. Barnes can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $25.1 million player option. Dwight Powell also has a player option, and Jordan will be an unrestricted free agent again. But even if Barnes and Powell both opt in, and if Jordan is re-signed to a Capela-esque contract (around $18 million annually), the Mavs will have the ability to create enough cap space to sign a player to a max contract in both 2019 and 2020. In the NFL, having a productive quarterback still on a cheap rookie contract allows funds to be spent at other positions. The same is true with the NBA—look no further than the Celtics, who benefit from having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, among others, on rookie deals, so they can splurge elsewhere. The Mavericks don’t resemble a destination today, but if Doncic and Smith—and their 2019 first-rounder, if it lands within the first five picks—become impactful players while on their rookie contracts, Dallas will suddenly have appeal. The Mavericks have been big-name hunters in the past. In 2012, they tried to sign Deron Williams and push for Dwight Howard in a trade. It didn’t work. (Crisis averted.) In 2013, they wanted Chris Paul and Howard. (Paul stayed with the Clippers, and Howard chose the Rockets.) In 2015, they verbally agreed to sign Jordan. (But you know what happened there.) Jordan, now 30 years old, is one of their only big free-agent signings in years; Matthews and Chandler Parsons were the others, but both were limited by major injuries. It remains to be seen if they can become major players on the open market. But they’ll have the means to make a run at a max player again in the next two summers, and, this time around, they’ll have some young blood to use as part of a pitch. There’s a long season ahead for the Mavericks in what could be Nowitzki’s farewell tour. Dallas would need a lot to break right to make the playoffs.<doc-sep>Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic was sensational in his preseason debut for the team on Sept. 29 against the Beijing Ducks. The Dallas Mavericks are not going to regret drafting Luka Doncic. The front office had to move up to the three overall selection and trade away their 2019 first rounder, but Doncic is a special talent. Mavs fans have heard all about it, and they finally got their first taste on Sept. 29. The Mavericks kicked off their preseason schedule with a home game against the Beijing Ducks. Yes, they are a team from China, but it is still Dallas basketball. The contest represented fans first chance to see Doncic in a Mavs uniform balling. The rookie did not disappoint. Dallas dominates and Doncic wows The Mavericks put on a fantastic performance and cruised to a 116- 63 victory on Saturday. Doncic drew the start and played 30 minutes. He produced 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and four turnovers on five of seven shooting from the field. Doncic was also three of four on 3-pointers. The performance was so much more than his stat line, though. Let us take a look at some of Doncic’s top plays from the game courtesy of the Mavericks official Twitter account. First, before the game even starts Doncic throws down a dunk in warm-ups. Here is Luka’s first score as a Maverick. Much is made of his lack of athleticism, but he grabs a rebound and goes end to end for his opening bucket. Check it out. Luka goes coast to coast! The rook is on the board. pic.twitter.com/gfy6VS1p9c — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) September 30, 2018 Questioning his shooting ability? Doncic lets you know he can nail 3-pointers with this one. Luka shows off the range! pic.twitter.com/oA16RxBamQ — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) September 30, 2018 Now, the game just starts getting fun. Doncic does some nasty dribble moves to get a basket. Words do not do it justice. Fans heard about his incredible passing ability plenty. Here Doncic puts it on display with a no-look out of a pick-and-roll for the easiest of buckets. Want to see a perfect pass out of transition? Doncic did that too. Luka runs the break and finds Maxi for 3! pic.twitter.com/agNwIBwA8l — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) September 30, 2018 Final thoughts Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic put on a show in his first preseason game on Sept. 29. He did not just star on offense either. Doncic had three blocks including one that was highlight reel material. The Mavs were using him as a five in that lineup which was not expected. The team heads to China on Monday for two preseason games. Dallas plays the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, so that will be their first taste of action against a fellow NBA team this season. Expect to see plenty of amazing moment from Luka Doncic over his rookie campaign. Mavericks fans are in for an exciting and entertaining season, so stay tuned. The Smoking Cuban is the destination for Dallas Mavericks fans to read about the team from a unique fan-centric perspective, so please check back with us on daily basis to never miss a post.<doc-sep>Evaluating Luka Doncic has been a challenge for many evaluators. Especially those that aren’t familiar with with both international basketball and basketball in the USA. That’s what makes David Blatt so specifically qualified to comment on this subject. He has been a head coach—with varying degrees of effectiveness—at the highest level on both sides of the world. Blatt has played and coached for decades overseas for several different clubs, most recently he became the head coach for Olympiacos of the Euroleague and the Greek Basket League. Then of course Blatt was the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for 123 games between 2014—2016 and went to the NBA Finals in 2015. So when Blatt recently spoke to Eurohoops.net about a player he’s coached against going to a league that he has coached in, we should probably listen. “My opinion, the biggest miss in the NBA draft. He was the number one pick no question, in my mind. But ok, that’s my orientation knowing both leagues and understanding that teams in many cases draft for position or draft for potential. But in terms of readiness, NBA readiness, there was no player in the draft that was more NBA ready than Luka Doncic— unquestioned, hands down. Now to say that a team has to draft that guy for those reasons—they don’t—you can draft whoever you want for whatever reason you want. But Luka is a unique talent and he’s going to have a great NBA career in my opinion.” The NBA season just can’t get here fast enough. Luka Doncic took the court for the first time on Saturday in Dallas against the Beijing Ducks and was amazing. The preseason continues on October 4.<doc-sep>
It’s okay if you need to pinch yourself. Yes this is real, no this isn’t a fever dream. Basketball is back, and the Mavericks did the unimaginable over the summer. It was clear for so long that Luka Doncic was the ideal player to add to the Mavericks roster. For so long it seemed destiny had intertwined their paths. Still the lottery gods would not will it so. But the Mavericks took fate in to their own hands. And look at them now. This is a big season for the Dallas Mavericks. Attempting to bypass a traditional rebuild timeline is no easy task. But Carlisle has both new and old weapons at his disposal — none more important than 19 year old Luka Doncic. Biggest Question Even with all the accolades — being one of the most accomplished 19-year-olds to enter the NBA — there are doubters to be sure. And granted, the track record of highly touted European transfers has been less than stellar overall. There will be questions about his outside shot, his athleticism and ability to transfer his playmaking skills to the league. But the biggest question for Luka entering the season is how he will look on the other end. How does he matchup defensively, and how versatile can he be on that end? The Mavericks haven’t been defensively intimidating since back near the title run. But they do have a few solid defenders in their starting lineup, with Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan. That should ease some of Doncic’s burden. And Carlisle is probably wise to start Doncic at the four in this regard. But make no mistake, if Luka shows that he can be exploited on defense, teams will try to switch him on the perimeter constantly. And what should be part of the beauty of playing Barnes and Doncic together is there ability to play both forward positions seamlessly. That only holds true if Doncic can guard at least two positions. Doncic looks to be an intelligent player, and not just on offense. He won’t be a shutdown defender any time soon. But expect him to play quality team defense. It may just take some time for him to adapt. Best Case Scenario Often when this question is asked, the first thing that springs to mind is Rookie of the Year. And by all means, yes. For any first year player, winning that award is a stellar measurement of success to start a career. But what does that actually look like? Looking at the last ten ROYs, eight were playmaking guards — not all traditional point guards, but primary creators. Those eight averaged 17 points, five rebounds, and just under six assists per game. They tallied that averaging 34 minutes, with shooting splits of .462/.277/.767 (Ben Simmons last season famously went 0-of-11 from three). Just as a reference point, because they aren’t fully comparable, last season in 61 games with Real Madrid Doncic put up 14.5 points, five rebounds and just under five assists per game (25 minutes per game). His shooting splits were .456/.309/.801, putting him in a similar window of the players above. With the recent breaking news of a Harrison Barnes injury that could sideline him indefinitely, Doncic’s role or the Mavs might be ever-expanding. And even with Barnes healthy, it is a feasible thought that Luka could put up similar numbers to previous ROYs. With a game that is more well-rounded than most rookies, Doncic should be able to find unique ways to contribute, even if one area is slumping. And with Carlisle orchestrating the system, and taking Luka under his wing, the tools will be there for him to make a special rookie campaign. If his game is clicking, it most likely means the play of Matthews, Jordan and Smith Jr., and more, will be elevated. When that happens, this team will start finding success that hasn’t been in Dallas for a while. Worst Case Scenario Some critics around the draft complained that Doncic’s ceiling just wasn’t as high as someone like, say, Jaren Jackson Jr. or DeAndre Ayton. But the inverse of that is Luka Doncic having one of the highest floors of any prospect ever. And that I’m sure, among many other things, was a major selling point for the Dallas Mavericks — a team bent on being shortcutting any sort of traditional rebuild.