Watch New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks via a free live stream on skysports.com, Sky Sports app and Sky Sports YouTube channel on Saturday at 7pm
Saturday 7 December 2019 21:44, UK
The outstanding play of Luka Doncic in his second NBA season has been 'absolutely breathtaking', said Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.
After being named 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, the 20-year-old has taken another step forward in his sophomore season, leading Dallas into the playoff places in the Western Conference and vaulting into the MVP conversation with per-game averages of 30.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.2 assists.
Asked if he has been surprised by Doncic's otherworldly stats, Carlisle said: "It is surprising, but it's not shocking. Our team has kind of taken its present form, but it is still early in the season and there is a long way to go and we'll see where it goes from here. But he is having a spectacular year. Just absolutely breathtaking.
"I have learned over my many years not to take anything for granted. He is just an exceptional player. He is an exceptional person. He's exceptionally tough. You don't find that combination in 20-year-old guys in the NBA very often. He is very special."
With every outstanding individual performance, Doncic makes himself more of a focus for the defensive schemes of the Mavericks opponents. In recent weeks, teams have played physical defense against him, double-teaming him and often knocking him to the floor.
Carlisle believes his superstar player has no qualms about handling those threats.
"(Luka) is an extremely hard-nosed guy and he seemingly always bounces back up and keeps playing," he said.
Doncic received a reality check when the Mavericks recently faced the LA Clippers, a game where elite defenders Kawhi Leonard and Paul George limited him to a 4-of-14 shooting night. The Clippers ran out 114-99 winners and Doncic admitted the result left him feeling sad and "p****d".
Is there a danger the Slovenian star is too hard on himself?
"He has been through a lot of big games in his career. He is a very mature guy, even though he's only 20 years old," Carlisle said. "He understands one of the things about those kinds of nights from a team and individual standpoint is that you can agonise over it for a little while and then you've got to turn the page and move forward. There are a lot of games coming. He knows that. Our team knows that."
One such game comes on Saturday evening at 7pm when the Mavericks welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to the American Airlines Center, a game you can watch live on Sky Sports Arena, skysports.com, the Sky Sports app and the Sky Sports YouTube channel.
While the Pelicans are still without their injured No 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson, Carlisle knows Alvin Gentry's team still pose a dangerous threat offensively, particularly because of the early-season play of forward Brandon Ingram.
"He is a tough guard because he is so versatile," said the Mavericks coach of Ingram. "He is shooting the three well. He attacks the rim great and he has got the midrange game as well."
"We just have to try to make it hard on him. Get him to take as many contested shots as possible and then not give them second-chance opportunities. He is a great young player. Down the stretch of games, he is going to see a lot of the ball, as is (Jrue) Holiday."
NBA Saturdays presented by NBA2K20 on Sky Sports - part of a record 48 Primetime games live on Sky Sports throughout the 2019/20 season.
Watch the Dallas Mavericks host the New Orleans Pelicans live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm.
