Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2

9. The best of Luka Doncic

People may have forgotten it now because the focus around the Dallas Mavericks shifted to trading away four starters and then Dirk Nowitzki’s final games, but Luka Doncic was one of the top stories of the NBA for most of the season. He should be the Rookie of the Year, and not just for his obviously terrific averages of 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

Though his efficiency and availability waned in the home stretch of the season right when Trae Young was catching fire, “Wonder Boy” was the most noteworthy and impressive rookie in the league this year. There were so many Doncic moments to choose from, it just made more sense to condense them all into one section.

In an early December win over the Rockets, his 21 points and seven boards hardly leapt off the stat sheet, but the personal 11-0 run he went on in the fourth quarter, turning a 102-94 deficit with 3:09 to play into a 3-point win, was completely nuts — especially since he capped it off with a nasty step-back 3 in Clint Capela’s face.

Doncic’s step-back 3 became the league’s most dangerous step-back jumper other than Harden’s, and his penchant for stepping up in the clutch was well known. In mid-January, he scored seven of his team’s final nine points in a win over the Wolves, becoming the youngest player since LeBron James to record 25 points and 10 assists in a game when he finished with a 29-12-8 line.

Wonder Boy did something similar in mid-February against the Blazers, scoring 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Mavs erase a 15-point deficit in the final 10 minutes.

He had already dropped a career-high 32 points in mid-December, but he topped it a few weeks later with 34. Then reset it again on Jan. 27 with 35 points, and then he tied that new career high two games later.

Doncic was also one of the most well-rounded rookies the NBA has seen in quite some time. In January, he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double (behind Markelle Fultz). About a week later, he became the first teenager in the NBA to ever record a 30-point triple-double.

With eight on the season, Doncic passed Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles before the age of 21 and the third-most by a rookie in NBA history. He is the spiritual successor to Dirk Nowitzki, and if Kristaps Porzingis can return healthy, the Mavs already have the foundation of a new super-team.

Luka Doncic impressed the Warriors, ball-faked everyone and their mothers, and was such a jovial spirit on the court it was hard not to buy into all the hype. He was the best rookie in the NBA this year, required some real thought when it came time to vote for All-Stars and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. It’s only fitting his first year in the NBA warrants its own spot.