Mavs turn to Europe to find their next star
Luka Doncic brings buzz fading Dallas franchise needs.
Luka Doncic is getting DALLAS — help from a variety of angles as the teenager makes the transition from European basketball to the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Slovenian rookie has mom to keep things settled at home, 40-year-old fellow Euro transplant Dirk Nowitzki to teach what it takes to become an NBA MVP and young point guard Dennis Smith Jr. to share the burden of expectations for lifting a fading franchise. Add it all up and there’s still plenty of work the 19-year-old faces on his own as a potential international star in an increasingly global league.
“He’s one of the most high-profile guys to come through Europe,” said Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, in a better position than most to know. “There’s a real buzz, which means absolutely nothing when he gets to the NBA because he starts from scratch.”
Nowitzki emerged from a rough rookie season 20 years ago to become one of the NBA’s seven 30,000point scorers. The German changed the game as a 7-footer who could shoot 3-pointers and was the centerpiece for a franchise that made 12 straight playoff trips and won the title in 2011.
The Mavericks have Doncic because those days are over, replaced by consecutive losing seasons and a pair of top 10 picks. Dallas got Smith at ninth overall last year, then traded up two spots with Atlanta for Doncic, the No. 3 overall pick, four months ago.
Nowitzki is about to set a record with his 21st season with the same franchise, now a complementary piece that is likely to come off the bench for the first time since his rookie year. This figures to be Doncic’s only season with the 13-time All-Star, 2007 MVP and 2011 Finals MVP.
“I’m sure we’ll have some time on the road somewhere to talk about some stuff that he can expect,” Nowitzki said. “But ... you got to go make your own experiences and go through some stuff to learn. His transition should be a lot smoother than mine. He plays with a savviness that I never had. I still might not have it.”
Doncic left home at 13 to join the professional club Real Madrid. The 6-7 guard-forward capped that six years of experience by winning Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP honors while helping Real Madrid win a championship just days before he was drafted. That’s where the conversation about Doncic’s readiness begins, and he isn’t ducking the lofty hopes Dallas has for him.
“When they say you’re going to be good, I like to be challenged,” said Doncic, who turns 20 after the All-Star break. “When I step on the court, I need to show it. No matter the pick you are, you need to show it on the court.”
While Smith is a pure point guard, Doncic possesses many of those skills. One of the first things Nelson said about Doncic after the draft was that he loves to pass. Coach Rick Carlisle appears set to start him at power forward, but says he can play every position except center.
The first thing to watch with the Mavericks trying to return to relevance in the tough Western Conference will be how Smith and Doncic play off each other.
“I just think if one guy zigs, the other guy’s got to zag,” Carlisle said. “We were a team last year that dribbled too much. Luka certainly helps that because he’s a guy that can play with or without the ball.”