The 2018-19 season marked a passing of the torch for the Dallas Mavericks. While Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki was in the midst of a farewell tour, Luka Doncic was just beginning to stake his claim as the next face of the franchise.
The two have different styles of leadership. But Mavs guard J.J. Barea said Dirk's competitiveness is just as evident in Doncic (via Eddie Sefko of the team's website):
“The thing I see is the competitiveness in both of them,” Barea said. “In anything they do. Dirk used to love competing in practice. Luka loves winning everything in practice. The talent level. They want to be the best player on the floor every single day, every single time. Those things are similar to when Dirk was young and getting into his prime.”
Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said Luka is more of a vocal leader than Dirk, though he noted Doncic has to be more assertive given how often he has the ball (via Sefko):
“An intense desire to win, an intense desire to be a great teammate and be categorically a leader, but in his own way,” Carlisle said. “Dirk was more of a quiet leader.
“Luka is emerging of a vocal leader than Dirk was. And it’s not surprising simply based upon the fact that the positions are so different. When you’re the point guard, you have the ball and everything kind of runs through you. So as we’ve gone on in practices here, Luka’s done a great job of leading the entire team, whichever team he’s on in a given day.”
Though the styles might be different, both Nowitzki and Doncic share a vital similarity in terms of productivity and dominance for the Mavs.
Dirk was a member of the All-NBA team by his third year in the league with the Mavs, and Luka is practically a lock to make an All-NBA team this year.
Nowitzki became one of the greatest players in league history during his storied career in Dallas, and the Mavs are hoping they have another all-time great in Doncic.
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