Storyline 1: The evolution of Luka
The Dallas Mavericks made a draft-night trade in 2018 to get the rights to Real Madrid star Luka Doncic and the kid didn’t disappoint.
Doncic was as good as advertised, becoming just the second rookie in NBA history along with Oscar Robertson to average at least 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game while rolling to Rookie of the Year honors.
Despite those accolades, there is a feeling Doncic isn’t close to reaching his ceiling yet.
He played in 72 games, averaging 32.2 minutes per game, and shot only 42.7 percent overall and 32.7 percent on 7.1 3-point attempts per game, while also coughing up 3.4 turnovers nightly.
Defensively, Doncic still has a lot of learning to do. According to ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus statistics, he ranked 404th among 514 players listed with a Defensive RPM of minus-1.07 last season.
At the other end of the floor, he had a usage rate of 30.5 percent — a figure that could dip this season with Kristaps Porzingis now in tow — with an assist percentage of 31.6 and a turnover rate of 15.0 percent.
When he got to the rim, he made good things happen, converting 63.7 percent of his shots in the restricted area and making a respectable 44.8 percent from three to 10 feet and 42.0 percent from deep mid-range.
Where he struggled was in the 10-16 foot area (37.7 percent) and from behind the arc (32.7 percent).
As gifted a passer as has entered the NBA in some time, Doncic sometimes had that young-player tendency to try passes that weren’t really there. Of his 247 turnovers, 161 of them were off bad decisions with the pass.
That is not an uncommon occurrence for rookie playmakers and it is something that should get better with experience.
But how much Dallas improves in 2019-20 is tied directly to how much Doncic improves as well as how Storyline No. 2 turns out.