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Thursday 14 November 2019 18:45, UK
Sky Sports NBA analyst Mike Tuck offers three takes on the Dallas Mavericks ahead of their visit to Madison Square Garden to face the struggling New York Knicks.
Luka Doncic's talent level is unbelievable and he seems to be getting better and better by the game. He has made a huge leap this season.
Typically, you can see a 'sophomore slump' from guys in their second year but in Doncic we have something different. He is a special player and the ceiling is so high for him - he is only 20 years old.
Almost all of his stats are up from last season: minutes played, field goals attempted, three-pointers made. His free throw percentage has jumped up quite a bit too. We have a small sample size right now but it's up from 71 per cent to 84.4. Throughout the season, that could make a huge difference for him.
Another stat that caught my eye was Doncic's total rebounding numbers. They are up 2.5 per game this year (10.3 per game) with most of that increase coming on the defensive end. What that tells us is he is crashing the boards and then pushing the ball, initiating offense as soon as he can which will allow the Mavericks' offense to play at a faster pace
That's already showing through with their offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) which is second-best in the league (112.9) just behind the Celtics. They are top 10 team in points scored per game too (115.3).
I've also noticed his ability to make multiple plays on one possession. When his team-mates miss but the team gets an offensive rebound, you can see him trying to make things happen. Even when he is off the ball, he puts himself in a good spot. If there is a kick-out pass to the corner he is there to knock the shot down. If not, they'll kick it out to him at the top of the key. He can shoot from pretty much anywhere.
Luka's assists per game are up from 6.0 per game in his rookie season to 9.1 so far in this campaign.
He is damn near averaging a triple-double per game and it is a significant improvement on last season. It was hard last season for Dallas to put a lot of their trust in a rookie but now they are ready to hand over the reins to Doncic and he has the green light.
The way Porzingis has been playing, struggling to find his rhythm, I think this is the perfect game for him to get back on track and prove to the Mavericks they made a good decision in signing him to that five-year max deal, against his struggling former team that has all sorts of problems on and off the court. That would be more than enough motivation for me to get it going.
Reacting to a hostile environment depends on the player. I like playing in that type of environment, especially when you're expecting it. That type of energy, you feed off it. I always take a 'Me vs the World' vibe into those games where I am out there with something to prove and I've got a chip on my shoulder.
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I played my first year as a pro in Cyprus. Half the teams in the league there have football teams as well (like a sporting club in Spain). All the football fans go to the basketball games and it's shirts off, drums, flares. They flicked lit cigarettes onto the court during games. They used to have barriers over the top of our benches. In one game, one of the team's waterboys was sitting on the end of the bench and there was no room under the barricade. We looked over and his back was soaking wet. The fans were spitting on him!
'KP' won't see any of that against the Knicks but the MSG is notorious for booing and New Yorkers are a tough crowd.
Porzingis is averaging only 18 points a game right now but you've got to remember his injury forced him to sit out for 18 months. He has come back in a new situation. On the Knicks, he was the man. In Dallas, he has got to get used to playing second fiddle to Doncic. His body type is different compared to when he was on the Knicks. He doesn't seem as fluid or bouncy as he did when was playing in New York.
I think there is a lot going on in his head. Coming back, I don't think his mindset is in the right place yet. We've seen flashes of his best - he had 32 against the Blazers and 28 when they played the Knicks in Dallas - but he has got to do it every night. The Mavs need him to be the second guy averaging 24-25 points. Every time he doesn't do that it puts more pressure onto Doncic to carry things and that will not be sustainable through the season.
I like the way Seth Curry and Dwight Powell - shout out to Canada! - have been playing for Dallas. Powell especially has stepped up this year but the fact is the Mavericks' talent level really drops off once you get past Doncic and Porzingis. Tim Hardaway Jr is probably their third-best player. I don't think the other starters would start on other teams in the league.
With Porzingis on the court, the floor is spread for them now, which is something I didn't see as much last year. Head coach Rick Carlisle has been using multiple starting line-ups which suggests they are still trying to figure things out and work out what works for them.
They rank eighth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.69) which shows they are getting good shots and trying to move the ball.
Dallas are 4-1 on the road, a better record than they have at home. One sign of a good team is winning on the road. Once they settle on a starting line-up and get Porzingis firing, I think those home wins will come and they'll be a solid team.
I don't know if they are a playoff team but I don't think I'd put money on it. They are in that 6-10 bracket and the West is just so competitive, but the way Doncic is playing definitely gives them chance.
