Luka Doncic is a monster. The rest of the NBA is now realizing that the Dallas Mavericks star is a one-of-a-kind talent, a generational player who can turn around the franchise. His performance after the trade deadline goes to show the potential he can bring to the table.
On Thursday night, Luka Doncic added to his insane records list, cementing his place in Mavs history. The Slovenian wunderkind tallied 49 points to rally the team to victory, tying Dallas legend Mark Aguirre for the most 45-point games in franchise history. (via NBA on ESPN)
Luka Dončić records his fourth career 45-point game, tying Mark Aguirre for the most in Mavericks history ✨ pic.twitter.com/xLDhq9R1PZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 18, 2022
Luka Doncic's blend of scoring and playmaking has been a problem for opposing defenses since his time in Real Madrid. There were questions, though: can his slow, herky-jerky style of play translate well into the “more athletic” NBA? After three and a half seasons with the Mavs, it's safe to say any doubts about Doncic's talents were WAY overblown.
Doncic's career-low with the Mavs was a 21.2 PPG season… in his rookie year. Since then, Doncic has been transcendent in the league, scoring above 27 points per game in years two to four. This season, he's also been a lot more aggressive getting into the paint, leading to more scoring opportunity (and shocking highlight reels as well).
The Mavs trading away Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline was polarizing, to say the least. Jason Kidd doubling down and saying that one-man offenses work (like the Dirk Nowitzki championship roster) added fuel to the flames. However, Doncic's performance post-deadline is the ultimate justification for Mark Cuban's moves recently. The team is in good hands.