NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen thinks the Dallas Mavericks are title contenders, thanks to Mavs superstar and MVP candidate Luka Doncic.
“I think it's realistic for him right now,” Pippen said of Doncic, who has firmly entrenched himself as an MVP candidate over the first two-plus months of the season despite missing four games due to an ankle injury.
So what does @ScottiePippen think about how soon @Luka7Doncic will be ready to win an NBA title? “I think it’s realistic for him right now.” pic.twitter.com/AwxYsfxwiY
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 9, 2020
The Mavs enter play Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets with a 23-13 record on the season. They currently hold onto the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but a win on Wednesday will propel them to just a game behind the No. 2 slot.
With over half of the season remaining, it's far too early to predict where the Doncic-led Mavs will wind up.
After having claimed the league's Rookie of the Year Award last season, Doncic has promptly followed up by averaging 29.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.9 assists per contest, having already collected 11 triple-doubles for the Mavs.
Luka Doncic has been joined this season by former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, who recently went down with a knee injury. KP projects to be a major part of the Mavs' puzzle as they eye an NBA ring much sooner than prognosticators originally anticipated.
Scottie Pippen, a six-time NBA champion in his own right, knows the rigors of an NBA postseason. Whether or not this current Mavs squad is constructed to topple its Western Conference foes remains to be seen, but they can certainly make the argument that they have the best player on the floor on a nightly basis.
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