Dallas' win over the Thunder on Sunday night raises some uncomfortable questions
The Dallas Mavericks picked up a 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, beating the top team in the West without Luka Doncic. It was their second signature win of the young season, but this one certainly carried some weight, beating such a good team with Doncic. So this has raised the question, do the Mavericks have a Luka Doncic problem?
It seems like a silly thing to ask, as Doncic is averaging 28.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 7.8 APG, but he is shooting a career-low from the floor at 42.7% and has the lowest defensive box plus-minus of his career at -0.1, the first time he's been categorized as a below-average defender with this statistic. His usage rebounds, assists, and win shares per 48 minutes are all either the worst of his career or second-worst.
"A little bit less ," Doncic answered to how he was feeling after Saturday's win against the San Antonio Spurs. "It's probably a matter of time, just not a lot of time to rest but I'll get better for sure. Promise." Resting Doncic while he gets healthy might be a consideration for the Mavericks, who showed on Sunday they can win big games without him, but for them to be at their best, they need Luka Doncic. There's a reason he entered the season as the MVP favorite, and even if he's slipped to fourth in FanDuel's MVP odds, Dallas won't sniff a championship without him playing at a high level. Saying otherwise is having blind faith in other players.
Jason Kidd said on Sunday he hopes to have Doncic back for their game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, but with the Pelicans at 4-10, it may make more sense to sit Doncic again with a rematch coming up against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The Nuggets squeaked by the Mavericks a little over a week ago despite Kyrie Irving exploding for more than 40 points. Getting a healthier Doncic for that game could be the difference.
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