Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki says Mavs rookie phenom Luka Doncic is a very mature basketball player.

Doncic, who is only 20-years-old, already has basketball amnesia in the sense he forgets about good and bad plays he's made in games so he can focus on the present.

Nowitzki says off the floor, Luka is just like him — someone who likes to have fun.

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Mavericks News
Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second half at the American Airlines Center.
Mavericks rumors: The Chris Paul reason D’Angelo Russell is such a priorityJackson Stone ·
Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second half at the American Airlines Center.
Mavericks rumors: Dallas the ‘overwhelming favorite’ to sign D’Angelo RussellPreston Byers ·
mavericks, mavericks free agency, dennis schroder
1 sneaky good player Dallas Mavericks must sign in 2025 NBA free agencyGarrett Kerman ·
NBA great Kevin Garnett is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Kevin Garnett’s hyped reaction to looming Bronny James-Cooper Flagg showdownAbdullah Imran ·
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) dribbles the ball against the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center.
Will Cooper Flagg be Mavericks’ point guard until Kyrie Irving returns from injury?Joey Mistretta ·
Mavericks Luka Doncic on left, Mavericks Cooper Flagg on right, stop light in the middle on red.
Why the Cooper Flagg-Luka Doncic comparisons must come to an endJoey Mistretta ·

“He’s just such a confident young man that there’s not much you can really tell him,” Nowitzki told Marc Stein of the New York Times. “He’s got the experience, he’s got the confidence in crunchtime already — all that I had to work for. He’s got the ability to forget anything that just happened five seconds ago, 10 seconds ago, and make another big play. That usually develops a lot later than 19 or 20.

“But off the floor, man, he is a kid. He’s never serious off the floor and obviously I’m not, either. He loves to have fun. We joke about everything and anything at all times. He’s just a funny dude. We enjoy our time together — I guess he took me under his wing.”

The Mavs are missing the playoffs this season, but Luka Doncic is the front runner to win the 2019 Rookie of the Year award.

Luka is averaging 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game for the Mavs while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.

With Dirk Nowitzki riding off into the sunset, Dallas is in good hands with Doncic leading the franchise for the next decade.