The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to get back into the win column against the Orlando Magic. However, point guard Luka Doncic will no longer be sneaking up on head coach Steve Clifford.
Doncic struggled during their last meeting in Dallas. According to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, Clifford feels he has become a different player:
“Greatness. He's a totally different player than the guy we played against in Dallas. I assume he's more confident and comfortable with the NBA game. But he just has it. You don't want to throw around ‘greatness,' but he has a sense of the game. His decision-making, his skill-level, along with the athleticism, even in this league you don't see very often. He just has a chance to be incredible.
There is certainly plenty of truth to Clifford's comments. Although Doncic enjoyed an immediate rise to stardom in the 2018-19 NBA season, he was still trying to find a way to produce consistently early on. This was the case back in early December when the Mavs hosted the Magic.
Doncic had been in the midst of a bit of a rough stretch when Orlando came to town. He registered just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting while missing all five of his three-point attempts. Despite his struggles, the Mavs still managed to secure a dominant 101-76 win.
Although the Mavs may have been able to overcome a bad game from Doncic last time, they have become much more reliant on the young star since then. That means the rookie phenom will need to find a way to have another big game despite Clifford's attempts to contain him once again.
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