Although injuries have limited their time together on the floor this season, Mavericks All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have started showing signs of becoming an elite duo.
In Dallas’ final game before the All-Star break, Doncic (33 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) and Porzingis (27 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) led the team to a blowout win over the Kings. While Doncic has played at an MVP-caliber level when healthy, Porzingis is playing his first season since tearing his ACL as a secondary option.
Despite both players missing some time with injuries, Porzingis says he and his new teammate are starting to mesh together, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes.
“Luka’s done a great job communicating to me [about] where I wanna get the ball,” Porzingis said. “He’s also getting used to playing with me and he’s really starting to find me in those spots where I’m comfortable, that midrange area. And slowly these things are starting to click. I think as we keep working, playing together, it’s going to get better and better and better.”
At 33-22, the Mavericks are the current seventh seed in the Western Conference. A lot of that success has hinged – and will continue to hinge – on the health of Doncic and Porzingis. As MacMahon noted, after an inconsistent 10-game stretch to start the season, the Mavericks have been a scoring force when both of their young stars have shared the court. Moving forward, Doncic feels things will only improve.
“It’s great that we both had those nights,” Doncic said. “We’ve got to keep working, and we’re going to get better and better.”
There is two things I’d like to see from Doncic, first he needs to get into a little bit better shape. 2) He needs to let the game come to him more organically. I feel like he presses a little too much which causes the other 4 guys to stand around and watch. I’m sure both will come with experience. Just my 2 cents.
You can tell he’s eating good aha
He’s never going to be quick. He’s going to always be shifty. With that said, he needs to keep the weight on. He takes a beating driving to the hole.
Euro LeBron is doing just fine for a guy who was a teenager a year ago. Puppy fat goes off and on on males aged under 25 and does not hinder athleticism in the slightest.
Euro lebron more like euro harden. Lebron is a freak of nature ( luka is not) harden is a high usage volume shooter. If the ball isn’t in his hands, Luka disappears.
Not to mention he’s only an offensive player. In the playoffs Luka gonna get exposed
Luka disappears? How can you get triple doubles if you disappear when you don’t have the ball? Correct me if I’m wrong, but rebounds are gathered when you don’t have the ball.
Euro Lebron? James is the best player on the planet, right now, today. Luka needs a few years of track record before I’d start making that comp.
They’ll be a good duo, for sure. I’d pump the brakes a bit tossing around the phrase “elite” however until they go on a run against some stiffer competition, and not just the Kings.
I mean, those two have basically single handedly mat he’d last year’s win total at the All Star break. That’s at least somewhat elite. No telling what this duo could look like once KP fully has his legs back under him.
lmao “pump the brakes” on these two extremely elite players who are clearly showing they are the best in the world? Grow up.
If they’re the best in the world, what are Steph and Klay, or Lebron and AD? The Dallas tandem is great, don’t get me wrong. To be elite though, you need to win something, at least to me.
Really wish the NBA media would stop caring about “duos” and start caring about “starting 5’s”.
Just because the Splash Bros became a duo first and won 3 titles, everyone is trying to copy them, but the NBA is a TEAM game, and in TEAM sports, you are only as good as the last guy on your bench, who cares about “duos”? The Raptors won last year because they had the best bench, period. Ya hate to see it.
Raps are better than Mavs, just like, duos are better than no duos and having a losing record because nothing is going on because the players all do their own thing.
Some kind of system has to win out for everyone to get on the same page. In the battle between iso vs motion vs P&R, nobody is talking about running plays. Coaches have to be flexible and stars want other stars. Pairings is the ordering system that has the successful backing of charisma.
Arguably the current Raps started out building around Lowry/Derozan and the coach preaching toughness, but wound up winning a title featuring a ringer.
Interesting philosophical issue but at base, Mark’s creative sentence structure may put posters on edge. (I see the same thing sometimes when I review my posts.). Luke is likely on holiday.
Carlisle vs Doncic is something to track. Here, it sounds like Doncic won via Porzingus. A guess.