Ever since he got drafted in 2018, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been penciled as the future face of the NBA. Despite coming into the NBA as a 19-year-old, Doncic didn’t disappoint. He lived up to the hype immediately and became the best player ever to come out of Slovenia.

Entering his fourth season, Doncic has already collected various accolades under his name, including two All-Star appearances, two All-NBA First Team selections, and a Rookie of the Year trophy. He is undoubtedly the face of the Mavericks.

But while he has been amazing, he still has to achieve a lot more in his career, especially if he wants to be part of the GOAT conversations. His predecessors in Michael Jordan, the late Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James wasted no time in proving they were the next big thing during their early years. With Luka Doncic about to enter his fourth season, let’s talk about the things he needs to achieve in the upcoming season.

Deeper playoff run

Although Doncic has had a spectacular NBA career, he hasn’t taken the Mavericks into deep waters in the NBA Playoffs. In 2020, the Mavericks suffered a first round exit against the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season, the Clippers re-asserted their mastery in the first round despite the Mavericks holding a 2-0 series lead.

This season, Doncic needs to find a way to lead his team past the first round. To be the next face of the NBA, he needs to prove that he’s capable of winning the games that matter most.

In fact, his counterpart, Trae Young, has already achieved this last season. The Atlanta Hawks, who controversially traded Doncic for Young, went on to make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals after eliminating the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Because of this, Young’s success has vindicated the Hawks from the flak they drew from the trade. Unfortunately, their vindication has been at the expense of Doncic's shortcomings in the postseason.

Still, it’s safe to say the Mavericks main man has time to prove he can succeed in the NBA Playoffs. And more importantly, Doncic will still have plenty of opportunities in his young career to win a championship. But he really needs to start brewing success in the postseason now before stronger doubts are cast against him.

Winning MVP

Given that Doncic is a future face of the NBA, there’s no better way to prove it than by taking the MVP trophy. He has a good chance of doing so this season.

He already showed MVP form last season, averaging 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. Although hewas in the top 10 of the MVP race, the award eventually went to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

With a more mature Doncic heading into the season, it won’t be a surprise if he becomes the league’s next MVP. He is coming off a spectacular stint in the Tokyo Olympics, leading Slovenia to a historical fourth place finish. He was also part of FIBA’s All-Star Five of the tournament after averaging 23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game.

Aside from a successful stint with Slovenia, he also secured a five-year, $207 million supermax extension with the Mavericks last summer. Because of this, he has a lot of motivation this season.

 

Breaking into the leaderboard for all-time triple-doubles

One of the reasons that Luka Doncic has been dominant is his polished all-around game. Last season, he was a walking triple-double. He has now collected 36 triple-doubles, which made him the new record-holder for the Mavericks. In NBA history, he also became the second fastest to reach 35 triple-doubles.

Doncic is now just a stone’s throw away from breaking into the top 10 all-time list at 11th. Given his dominance, it won’t be difficult for him to chase Fat Lever, who tallied 43.

If the Mavericks star enters the top 10, it will surely make his case stronger as the next face of the NBA. Furthermore, he will be part of an elite company that includes MVPs and Hall of Famers. But more importantly, he'll be the youngest in the group.

Defensive honors

Doncic is an elite offensive threat. However, one way he could elevate his game is to step it up defensively. Although it’s a long shot for him to win Defensive Player of the Year, being part of one of the All-Defensive Teams isn’t far-fetched.

The crafty guard has shown a steady improvement with his defense last season after averaging 1.0 steals and an improved 0.5 blocks per game. In fact, former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle gave Doncic credit (via Mavs.com).

“He’s gotten better in, really, virtually, every aspect of the game. As a player gets into his third and fourth year, you really start to learn what it’s all about to consistently win in this league. And defense is a major part of it.”

Defense is a critical aspect of the game, and Doncic knows it.

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Mavericks' Luka Doncic and Mavericks' Kyrie Irving both inside of the American Airlines Center with their eyes popping out looking to the left.

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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford dunking a basketball on left. Mavericks' Tim Hardaway Jr. shooting a basketball on right. Question mark in middle.

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Mavericks' Luka Doncic, Mavericks' Kyrie Irving both saying the following: DEFENSE! Place fire in both of their eyes.

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Great players aren’t only the best scorers, they also impact the game in other departments. Although guys like LBJ, MJ, and Kobe are all offensive threats, they also have been part of All-Defensive Teams. In fact, Jordan even won as Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.

If Luka Doncic can elevate his defense, he'll become a formidable two-way threat. Should he improve his defense, this will also make the Mavericks a better team overall.

Thrive with Kristaps Porzingis

Although this isn’t a milestone, making it work with Porzingis will bring wonders to Doncic's already decorated career. While players in the GOAT conversations were great individually, they needed great teammates to help them improve their legacies.

In order to surround Doncic with talent, the Mavericks got Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks in a trade. Although he has shown flashes of brilliance, Porzingis has suffered injuries that derailed the team.

KP hasn’t been the star that the Mavericks hoped for. He averaged only 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per outing in the last postseason. Aside from a dip in his production, Porzingis has shown signs of frustration by playing as a second option to Doncic. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, tensions flared between the two stars. With Doncic being the focus of the Mavericks offense, Porzingis has taken a backseat, which is a role he isn’t comfortable with.

Fortunately, the hiring of new coach Jason Kidd could help the Mavericks tandem. During the preseason, the team went undefeated with a 4-0 record. And from the looks of it, their All-Stars are enjoying the leadership of the new coaching staff.

If Doncic can make it work with Porzingis, they can potentially be an unstoppable one-two punch. With the former's ability to create off the dribble and the latter’s perimeter game, the sky’s the limit. Alongside KP, not only will Luka Doncic be able to live up to his contract, but it’ll also allow him to possibly win a championship, which will cement him as the new poster boy of the NBA.