Every year since the start of his career, it’s been a little extra minute of play. Luka Doncic entered his fifth season in the big league with even more playing time than the previous year. With just under 37 minutes per game, he has the seventh highest average in the league.
And when he is in play, the Slovenian is obviously a hyper-responsible player. His “Usage Rate” (38%), the estimate of the percentage of offensive actions that a player uses or completes when he is on the floor, is the highest in the entire NBA, ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Luka Doncic may be only 23, but he can also be subject to the effects of wear and tear. We must not forget that after the Mavs’ fine run to the conference final last year, he followed up with a summer of preparation for the national team to compete in the Euro in September.
That didn’t stop him from having a great start to the season with a series of nine games at 30 points or more. But his last two outings remind us that he is not a superman. Jason Kidd also assures that the Mavericks will look at the calendar to see when they can rest it. ” We’ll talk about it soon, it’s really deserved », qualifies the coach coming out of the defeat in Washington.
A match during which his best player signed his lowest production of the season with 22 points (8/21 on shots, 3/8 at 3-pts, 3/9 on throws…), 9 rebounds, 6 assists but 5 balls lost. The day before, he had already struggled in Orlando with 24 points and only 9/29 on shots.
“He has no Robin by his side”
” We say he is human. When everyone attacks you in defense, every night, and you are asked to manage everything in attack, it will be seen after 25 games. I would say around Christmas “, already anticipates his coach. The latter considers that despite the young age of his player, ” the flip side is that he’s falling to the ground a lot right now. This is one of the areas we will talk about, I will try to make it fall less. »
And the former playmaker to evoke players like Allen Iverson, who went into contact a lot and frequently found themselves on the ground. A succession of falls which, according to Jason Kidd, ends up physically catching up with the players over time. ” So we gotta find a way to keep him on his feet “, continues the coach.
Even if it means saving it on the other side of the floor. ” There are possessions where (others) have to help Luka in defense because he does a lot in attack. We have to be able to find this balance so that it participates in defense, so that it helps us win games. But its Usage Rate is so high that there will sometimes be situations where it won’t participate. It happens, I’ve been there “, develops the Hall of Famer.
The latter, whose game plan remains centered around Luka Doncic, says he is looking for Mavs players capable of supporting him. ” We have a group (but) he has no Robin by his side “, formulates the coach while Spencer Dinwiddie comes out of two big games at 31 points on average. ” We have a group of guys who have to participate. At the moment, we have one or two that show up, then those two disappear, and then two more appear. We have to become regular in this matter. »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFqr3MvsTLA
| Luka Doncic | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 72 | 32 | 42.7 | 32.7 | 71.3 | 1.2 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 21.2 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 61 | 34 | 46.3 | 31.6 | 75.8 | 1.3 | 8.1 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 0.2 | 28.8 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 66 | 34 | 47.9 | 35.0 | 73.0 | 0.8 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 27.7 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 65 | 35 | 45.7 | 35.3 | 74.4 | 0.9 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 28.4 |
| 2022-23 | DAL | 9 | 37 | 52.4 | 29.7 | 78.1 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 36.0 |
| Total | 273 | 34 | 46.0 | 33.6 | 74.0 | 1.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 26.7 | |
