In last Sunday’s game between the Mavericks and Lakers, Luka Doncic and LeBron James put on passing clinics. LeBron showed off his no-look skills on a pass to Dwight Howard, and Luka used his court awareness to give Dwight Powell an easy alley-oop. It should have been a preview of two of the best players battling it out in a great game.
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Until it wasn’t.
James and Doncic struggled to score, but the veteran experience of James shined through. He finished with just 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting, but his 13 assists with just two turnovers led the Lakers to a 108-95 victory. James has always had a knack for making his teammates better. Every player has off nights, but James has the ability to lift those around him when he can’t produce.
It’s something Doncic still needs to work on. He finished the game with 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including an 0-for-6 clip from the 3-point line. It wasn’t just the shots being forced. He managed seven assists but added six turnovers.
Forced Plays Lead to Turnovers
Those turnovers might be a product of Doncic’s youth. He’s averaging just over four turnovers per game while committing six or more turnovers in nine games this season. Some of the mistakes come from forcing plays that have worked his whole life. It’s hard not to think you can do it all when the league creates a 15-minute highlight video consisting of just 13 games.
It’s harder to improve on off nights when they don’t happen often. This season, Doncic has only had seven games where he’s shot under 40 percent and only two games where he’s scored under 20 points. But in games where he struggles to score, the rest of his game struggles, too. He’s yet to have 10 assists in a game where he’s scored under 25 points this season.
Looking Ahead
The bright spot here? The root of most criticism was that Doncic was unable to match up against LeBron. The comparison is a compliment to a 20-year-old in just his second season. And it’s a nightmare to the rest of the league.
Stopping Doncic is the key to stopping the Mavs, but what happens when he makes up for his lack of scoring with improved passing? The Mavericks’ loss to the Lakers was only their third double-digit loss of the season. In those games, Luka has combined for 14 turnovers.
If Doncic can change just a few of those turnovers into assists, those losses could end differently. When he forces up shots, the rest of the team follows suit. Kristaps Porzingis took just three shots inside the arc while Seth Curry, who’s a foot shorter than Porzingis, took eight shots from 2-point range, converting just two.
The Mavericks struggled inside against the Lakers– understandable against one of the league’s top frontcourt defenses. But this is where Doncic excelled. Even as he went 0-for-6 from behind the arc, he finished 5-for-8 on 2-pointers. That inside threat should expand his passing game, allowing guards like Curry to find open space on a Doncic drive-and-kick.
A few days after the Lakers game, Doncic finished with 31 points against the Nets after only scoring 16 through the first three quarters of the game. He finished with seven assists and four turnovers and showcased some improved decision-making. This play shows how just the threat of him driving to the basket is enough to leave the paint open for Maxi Kleber.
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But that win was followed by a tough overtime loss to Charlotte in which Doncic committed five turnovers, the last of which came with under a minute left in regulation on a bad alley-oop pass allowing Charlotte to cut the lead to two and eventually send it to overtime. Moments like this need to be cut down if the Mavericks want to find success against tougher teams.
In an already successful season, Doncic still has the chance to improve even more. Dallas is a dangerous team when Doncic is on his game, but he needs to learn how to involve his teammates on his off nights. James provided the blueprint in their matchup. Now it’s up to Doncic to follow it.
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