Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are back for the 2022-23 season. After a successful 2021-22 campaign that saw them go on an unexpected run all the way to the Western Conference Finals, it's clear the Mavs mantra heading into this season is championship or bust.

Considering they have Doncic, one of the best all-around players in the game on their roster, it makes sense why that's the case. The Mavericks surrounded Doncic with a strong supporting cast, and he took his team on a deep playoff run. Even though they didn't make a ton of upgrades this offseason, that should be the case again this season.

Not only is Doncic putting up strong numbers on the court, but he's also putting up strong numbers for fantasy basketball owners. Folks ending up with Doncic in their drafts have been thrilled with his play, and it's not hard to see why. With the 2022-23 season nearly upon us, and fantasy leagues getting underway, let's take a look at Doncic's fantasy outlook for the upcoming season.

Luka Doncic's 2022-23 fantasy basketball outlook

Over the past three seasons, Doncic has solidified his spot among the top all-around players in the league. His averages over those three seasons combined are unreal (28.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 46.6 FG%). Doncic has been very nearly averaging a triple-double over the past three seasons combined. That's a very high level of play.

It's also worth noting that Doncic is only 23 years old, and may not have even reached the peak of his powers. That's tough to fathom considering how good Doncic is already. He can do pretty much anything asked of him on the offensive end of the court, and he has continued to improve as a defender ever since he entered the NBA.

The 2021-22 season was arguably the most impressive of Doncic's young career considering the circumstances. The Mavericks had long been hoping that Doncic could form an effective partnership with center Kristaps Porzingis and lead them to a championship, but that never happened. Porzingis ended up getting traded at the trade deadline, with Dallas accepting that plan was a failure.

You would figure losing his partner-in-crime would hurt him, but Doncic only played better without Porzingis alongside him last season. Doncic's averages from February 10th (which is when Porzingis was traded) through the rest of the season were a step up from what he had been doing earlier in the season (32 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 8 APG, 47.4 FG%). The Mavericks needed Doncic to step up and he did.

Chances are Luka Doncic will have to do something similar now that Porzingis and Doncic's backcourt partner Jalen Brunson are gone. Dallas added Christian Wood to be Doncic's new running mate, but it's going to be tough to replace Brunson's production moving forward. That will require Doncic to be just as good as he was last season, maybe even better.

From a fantasy perspective, there's a lot to like about Doncic's situation heading into the season. Despite missing 17 games last season, Doncic finished as the seventh-highest scoring player in fantasy last season, which shows just how productive he is when he's on the court. If Doncic can stay healthy this season, he could end up being the highest-scoring player this season.

Doncic's production in fantasy lies in his ability to do a little bit of everything. Doncic is one of the most effective scorers in the league, as he can hit shots from wherever he wants on the floor whenever he wants too. His efficiency takes a hit because of his high volume of shots somtimes, but for the most part, Doncic will hover around the 45 percent mark when it comes to his shooting.

Not only can Doncic score, but he's a fantastic playmaker and rebounder. Doncic's assist tallies dropped as the season went on, and that may happen again this season if his teammates struggle to produce. Having a strong scorer at center in Wood will help, but Doncic may have to take on more of the scoring burden this season.

Doncic will continue to be a strong rebounder, regardless of who is on the court alongside him, and he's improved his defensive counting stats with each passing season. There isn't much to dislike about Doncic's potential from a fantasy perspective.

Heading into drafts, it's clear that Doncic will be one of the first players to come off the board. Doncic is likely going to be the top overall guard, and there's a decent chance you won't be able to land him unless you have a top five draft pick.

Doncic is a consistent source of fantasy points because of his ability to do everything, and for that reason, he will be one of the top players in your drafts this year. If you have a top five pick, Luka Doncic is well worth it, and there are only a handful of players worth considering taking over him.