Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award, and the rising Mavs star added to his rookie résumé on Friday in Boston.
Playing against the Celtics at the TD Garden, Luka Doncic hit a tough turnaround 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Boston's lead to seven. It was a tremendous shot by Doncic, who is making these shots look way too easy:
Luka beats the halftime buzzer! 🤩
Send this man to to the All-Star Game: https://t.co/IA4KyDZTRh pic.twitter.com/I2NNpG00pK
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 5, 2019
Here's another couple looks… How'd he get this one to go?? pic.twitter.com/zboZNvrb3o
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 5, 2019
Entering Friday, Luka Doncic was averaging 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. The 19-year-old was shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Doncic has shut all the critics up who said he wasn't going to have success against NBA competition. Luka leads all rookies in points per game, is second in assists per game, and third in rebounds per game.
Doncic's shot making has captivated everyone, particularly his step-back jump shot which is becoming a national phenomenon now. The Mavs' new franchise player doesn't have the speed to get by guys in the NBA, so he uses his deadly stepback to create separation.
Practice makes perfect, so Doncic figured he'd start implementing his stepback even during his pregame warmups:
Luka is just trolling us now 👀
(via @dallasmavs) https://t.co/7TgNFKdBM3
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) January 5, 2019
It's highly unlikely to see him pull this off in games, though.
