Luka Doncic just dropped 47 points to snap the Rockets’ 11-game winning streak at the Toyota Center last night. Doncic was aided by Kyrie Irving, who contributed 24 points of his own during the 125-107 win. Even after such a dominant showing against a tough opponent like the Rockets, many in the NBA community still believe that Doncic and the Mavericks might not have enough pieces to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy this year. Rockets legend, Tracey McGrady echoed a similar opinion when he took to his Instagram to air his opinions about Luka and the Mavs’ fortunes this postseason.
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In a video posted on McGrady’s Instagram, the former NBA player addressed some questions surrounding Luka’s potential. Answering the question ‘briefly’, McGrady said, “As Great as Luka is, I don’t think Dallas has done a great job of putting those right pieces around Luka. Even with Kyrie, I won’t say they’re a championship squad. I think they need a little bit more, they are missing some pieces.”
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McGrady might have a point, as the Dallas Mavericks have had a roller coaster of a season. Even though they are currently on a roll, they gone wide stretches this season losing consecutive games. That being said, the Texas-based franchise has managed to pair Luka with some good pieces after the trade deadline. P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have really boosted the team’s firepower ahead of the playoffs. The Mavericks are 11-4 since the trade deadline, per StatMuse.
McGrady does love himself some Luka
Luka Doncic is most probably the next face of the league, as the Mavericks legend looks to take his first scoring title this year. Having just turned 25 a month ago, Doncic has put himself in the same conversation with legends such as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant at his age. Seven time All-Star Tracy McGrady seems to approve of the love and admiration that Luka has been receiving. During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Tracy McGrady revealed his feelings towards Luka’s game, telling his host,
“Luka is pretty damn good. I love watching Luka because Luka is not the fastest, he’s not the quickest, he can’t jump over a dollar. But skill-wise, his skill level is off the charts. He knows how to control the pace of the game, he knows how to create space and get his shot off anybody whether it’s somebody that’s bigger-stronger, quicker than him. He just knows how to play the game and control the pace.”
Luka is on his way to register another MVP caliber year this season. Currently placing second in the MVP race, the 25-year old Doncic is averaging 33.8 points, 9.8 assists and 9.1 rebounds on 48% shooting. Even though he has done great this season, the team has done even better, as the Mavericks have managed to successfully bounce back from last year’s early exit. With Kyrie and Doncic firing on all cylinders, it will be hard for any team to challenge the Mavs on the offensive end of the floor.
