The Dallas Mavericks made quite the investment to acquire forward Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. Fortunately, the rookie has already started to show signs of why the Mavs felt so confident in making the trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

Doncic kicked the preseason off in style with a number of flashy plays. He even managed to show off his athleticism by going coast-to-coast for his first bucket wearing a Mavs jersey.

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1046199403235758080

Doncic was undoubtedly the most decorated player in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Slovenian native has been lighting up the EuroLeague ever since he was 16 years old. Despite his accolades, the jury had still been out on his legitimacy as a lottery pick.

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The biggest knock on him had been the concern about his athleticism being unable to translate to the NBA. Needless to say, he has managed to get a good start on dispelling this notion with plays like this one.

Doncic was initially drafted by the Hawks. However, he was subsequently traded to the Mavs in exchange for point guard Trae Young and a first-round pick in 2019.  That said, the chip on his shoulder has seemingly gotten even bigger since making the transition from overseason.

Regardless, Dallas still has high hopes for the rookie which is why the team was willing to pull the trigger on sacrificing a first-rounder amidst a rebuild to bring him in. The Mavs are hoping that their recent influx of young talent can help spur them into the post-Dirk Nowitzki era. Doncic very well may be the driving force behind their plans.