Luka Doncic has been on one this NBA season. The Slovenian had a good taste of postseason success last year as he made his first Western Conference Finals.
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Raring to go for more, Doncic would’ve expected Mark Cuban to have added some talent to their offseason roster. Instead, he came back to a team shorn of its best ball-handler other than himself.
Jalen Brunson took a 5-year deal from the New York Knicks in free agency, bolting to Madison Square Garden. The 6’2″ guard was an important bench piece for the Mavericks during his 4 years in Dallas.
Brunson has since gone on to put up stellar numbers for his new team as the Mavericks flounder. Many critics have panned Mark Cuban for cheaping out on a precocious point guard just like Steve Nash in 2004.
“My reaction was for Julius, I was very happy for him…He’s been special all year, so I was really excited when I saw that. As for myself, I control what I can control, & that’s something I can’t. That’s my mindset on it”
— Jalen Brunson on not making the All-Star team pic.twitter.com/FyEwd3GoOJ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 5, 2023
Also Read – Luka Doncic Joins Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant And James Harden On Elite List of 50-Point Scorers
While the Mavericks did acquire Christian Wood via trade, they clearly need another ball-handler. Spencer Dinwiddie is more of a scorer and less of a facilitator. The Mavs’ offense grinds to a halt without Luka acting as their floor general.
Luka Doncic-less Mavericks have gone 0-7 this season without him
There is a stat that demonstrates just how badly the Mavericks are constructed outside of Luka Doncic. This 2022-23 season, the team has gone 0-7 in the time that they’ve missed the Slovenian.
Not only have they dropped all their games, but their play on both ends drops significantly. The Mavericks rank 30th in net rating, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, defensive rating and have one of the worst net ratings of all time in his absence.
the mavericks would have the league’s best offense (120.4 off rating) if you only counted the minutes with luka on the floor. they’d have the league’s worst offense (107.8) if you only counted the minutes without him. you don’t see margins this big very often.
— tim cato (@tim_cato) January 27, 2023
Also Read – “I’m Not Ranking LeBron James”: Luka Doncic Refuses To Pit Lakers Star Against Michael Jordan Or Anyone Else
How much help will Kyrie Irving provide the Mavericks?
Nets star Kyrie Irving submitted a trade request 2 days back, initiating interest from all around the league. Dallas seem to be one of the teams in the running, other than the Lakers, Clippers and Suns.
In theory, Irving definitely helps Luka a bunch by reducing his offensive workload. He can create his own shot, he’s a great pick-and-roll facilitator and can be staggered with Doncic.
However, dealing for Irving likely means losing some of their defensive pieces like Josh Green and/or Dorian Finney-Smith. It may also involve the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie other than this.
On top of all that is the concern about whether Irving would like to be in Texas for a longer term. He’s proved to be capricious in the past and could conceivably sign elsewhere as a free agent.
Dealing for Irving would be a high-risk solution to the Mavs’ problems.
