By: Nick Galle
At 20-years-old, most people are not really sure what they want to do with their life. Some might still be in school, others might be living with their parents, and most are probably working a part-time job that they hate.
That is not the case for Luka Doncic.
At just 20 years of age, the second-year man from Slovenia is averaging 30.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 9.4 assists in the best professional basketball organization in the world.
Not really the average life of somebody who was a teenager just 10 months ago.
Doncic seemingly gets better every game. If you were not a believer of him at the beginning of the season, you certainly better be now. With a league leading seven triple-doubles in just 20 games, Doncic has shown that he can consistently stuff the stat sheet.
After averaging 25 points per game in October, Doncic increased his scoring average up to 32.4 in the month of November, shooting 49.3% from the field. He went for 30+ points on nine occasions and had six triple-doubles. On November 20th, he went for 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in just 26 minutes against the Golden State Warriors.
The success has carried over into the month of December. Last night against New Orleans, Doncic was able to haul in 18 rebounds, a career high.
Game after game, Doncic has been putting up increasingly better numbers than the night before. He has led the Dallas Mavericks to a 14-6 record, their best start since the 2014-2015 season.
Perhaps the most impressive element of Doncic’s success is the fact that his supporting cast has been mediocre at best.
With Kristaps Porzingis shooting just 39.2% from the field and guys like Dwight Powell, Seth Curry, and Tim Hardaway Jr. not showing up on a nightly basis, the majority of the load is falling on the young superstar’s shoulders.
With that being said, the former Rookie of the Year has responded well, showing the league that he can lead a team to victory.
There is no doubt that Doncic is the real deal and possibly even the face of the NBA in the years to come. If he wants to take his game to the next level, he will need to take better care of the ball though, as he is currently averaging 4.6 turnovers.
As for the Mavericks as a team, they will need to find or develop a supporting cast that takes some of the pressure off of the Dallas guard. Look for Powell, Delon Wright, Justin Jackson and Dorian Finney-Smith to be developed into crucial role players for this organization in the years to come.
Regardless of how far Dallas goes this season, the talent that Luka Doncic has displayed thus far is something special. Players of his skill level don’t come around that often.
Not too bad for a 20-year-old kid.
Cover photo via: AP Photo/David J. Phillip
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