Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Luka Doncic showed he's already more than ready to be the centerpiece of the franchise, recently carrying the Mavs to a cardiac 102-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle lauded his 19-year-old phenom for a brilliant performance, as he took over late in the game to bounce back from a 15-point loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks:

“It was one of those times where he was going to have to finish for us to have a chance,” said Carlisle, according to Gerry Fraley of SportsDay. “I love the fact that he loves carrying the load. He's one of those dynamic young players that has the charisma to give his teammates confidence.”

A vital 3-point play in the dying minutes of regulation gave Doncic the chance to put the Mavs ahead for good, surviving a one-point heart-stopper to make it three wins in their last four games:

Doncic finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a blocked shot, showing just how much of the load he's being asked to carry after the franchise traded away their entire starting lineup (Dennis Smith Jr., Wes Matthews, DeAndre Jordan and Harrison Barnes) to make him the focal point of the offense:

“There's more responsibility falling on Luka,” Carlisle said. “This is an important stretch to feel what it's all about and what it feels like and what it feels like to have to deliver in all these different areas. He's certainly capable of doing it.

“We've got to prepare him to carry this load going forward.”

Doncic is averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in his first year in the league, numbers that will only get better as he matures into the NBA game, having already shown his mettle as the go-to player through 53 games played this season.