Mavs superstar Luka Doncic is on the brink of receiving an automatic one-game suspension after recently being called for his 14th technical foul of the season. He is now two techs away from being forced to sit out a game due to a league-mandated policy pertaining to accumulated technical fouls.

Doncic himself realizes that he has some anger management issues that he needs to deal with, particularly with his interactions with game officials. In a recent episode of JJ Redicks' The Old Man & the Three podcast, the Mavs All-Star point guard revealed that he's now taken a new perspective amid his looming suspension.

Doncic started by bragging a little bit about his timid behavior towards the game officials during the past two games. According to the Mavs star, he was “really good” in terms of being more respectful to the referees. Reddick agreed and commended Doncic for his renewed perspective. This was when Luka revealed that he had to look himself in the mirror after his most recent run-in with the game officials:

“Well I had a little talk with myself,” Doncic revealed (h/t NBA Retweet on Twitter). “It was unacceptable, no more. The way I was acting, maybe it's some of my personal issues or anything, but I had a talk with myself and I just said this can't keep going. It's a really bad look. I knew I was doing this but I kept going. It's over. It's over now. I had to talk with myself, no more, man.”

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Chris Paul in normal clothes on left. Mavericks' Luka Doncic shooting a basketball on right.

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Mavericks' Luka Doncic, Mavericks' Kyrie Irving both in front. Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Brian Windhorst in background with eyes popping out looking at Luka and Kyrie.

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Doncic has long been criticized for his knack for complaining to the referees. He's taken this overboard on more than a few occasions, and the 14 techs he's accumulated this season is a clear testament to this fact.

The good news here is that the Mavs star has recognized his shortcomings and he's shown a willingness to make the necessary change within himself. This is easier said than done, particularly during the heat of the battle. However, with the right mindset in place, this is a challenge we can definitely see Luka overcoming. The results might not come overnight, but he should get there eventually.