The Dallas Mavericks have a Luka Doncic problem. No, it's not because of his production, far from it actually. The Slovenian phenom has been a fringe MVP candidate this season, posting some of the best numbers of his young career so far. He has been a top-five player in the league this year.

The problem, though, is his fouling problem. Specifically, technical fouls: Luka Doncic has gained a reputation for earning multiple techs due to complaining. It all culminated with him earning his 16th technical of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, which will lead to his suspension for the Mavs' season finale against the Spurs in two days. (via ClutchPoints)

Doncic's incessant complaining has been one of the biggest issues of the Mavs fanbase for a few days now. His game is predicated on physicality and drawing fouls (he's sixth in the league in free throws attempted). When the referees don't blow the whistle on him, Doncic has a penchant of going off on refs and complaining.

Now, talking to the referees is a completely normal part of the game. In fact, you could argue that it's an important aspect to being an NBA superstar: explaining your side to the refs to influence them to call more in your favor. That's why you see guys like Chris Paul and  LeBron James talk to referees during dead ball situations. However, the way the Mavs star does it makes him a lot more prone to being given a technical foul.

This type of behavior from Luka Doncic is detrimental to the Mavs in a lot of ways in the postseason. The first, and most obvious reason, is that it directly impact Luka's availability. During the playoffs, the NBA automatically suspends a player after earning their 7th technical foul. If Doncic continues to keep up his complaining, he will likely miss some crucial games in their playoff run.

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Secondly, continuous complaining could eventually lead referees to swallow their whistle more against Doncic. As much as we'd like to believe it isn't, refereeing is subjective. There are instances of certain referees not liking a player's actions towards him. The Mavs star might gain a bad reputation among referees and lead him to get “softer” technical fouls, similar to Draymond Green.

Doncic's antics could potentially cost the Mavs a deep playoff run in the future. If he wants to maximize his team's potential in the future, Luka must find a way to air his grievances to the referees in a healthier manner.