Mavericks stars embrace passing of the torch
Dirk about Doncic: ‘Hard to believe he is 19’
At All-Star weekend, Dallas’ past (Dirk Nowitzki) and future (Luka Doncic) will be represented.
LOS ANGELES – If this season has the feel of a passing of the torch in Dallas — from the gnarled, veteran hands of Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki to the young, Fortnite-playing fingers of Luka Doncic — this weekend’s All-Star Game might be the most symbolic moment.
For if things continue on their current trajectory, this could go down as a unique week in the career of Doncic. Not because it is the first time he will be involved in the NBA’s All-Star festivities, but because it could be the last time, for a long time, he won’t be in the main game.
The Slovenian sensation, 19, with teenage fearlessness and the smarts of a man twice his age, polled the second-highest number of fan votes in the Western Conference yet was left off the roster, despite being worthy of a spot by pretty much whatever metric you prefer.
On the flip side, teammate Nowitzki was awarded a place on the Team Giannis squad,
even though he has not started a game all season and is averaging 4.4 points in his cameo appearances.
In truth, it has a neat kind of chemistry to it. Doncic, for all of his historydefying productivity and unmistakable “wow” factor, still is battling to get the respect he deserves. Nowitzki, 40, is enjoying the spoils of two decades of effort, being appropriately selected by Commissioner Adam Silver, along with Dwyane Wade, as one of two special sentimental picks.
When the hype fest in Charlotte is done and normal service is resumed, it surely will feel like the Dallas handover is complete. Doncic doesn’t turn 20 until the end of this month and spends all of his free time either eating or playing video games, but the Mavericks’ destiny has been passed to him with no hint of a complaint.
Dallas has some history with European imports who break the mold, like a certain sweet-shooting big man, and it likes what it has seen.
“It’s cool to see Dirk convey and support and educate Luka on how to carry himself, because there’s a lot of different ways a kid today can be a professional,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban told Business Insider. “You always treat people with respect … and (recognize) that is critical to working your way to being something special in this league.”
Yet the mentoring situation might be overstated. Nowitzki and Doncic clearly like each other and share great mutual admiration, but the German points out that the newcomer didn’t exactly need anyone to show him the ropes.
“He is not under my wing because he’s not under anyone’s wing,” Nowitzki told USA TODAY. “It is not some guy coming in and being intimidated and figuring things out. He is a really good player who believes in himself and it shows. I want him to do great, but he doesn’t need me to hold his hand. It is hard to believe he is 19.”
Doncic is as seasoned as it’s possible for a basketball teenager to be, already having led Real Madrid to the EuroLeague title. At this point, he essentially has ceased to be a rookie. When Las Vegas already is paying out on bets for you to be named Rookie of the Year, no one is comparing you directly with the other first-year players anymore.
He is on course to average 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. The only other rookies to achieve that turned into passably proficient players who you might have heard of: Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan.
Doncic plays off the attention and recently said that landing so many AllStar votes made his head spin.
“It’s just, I don’t know what to say, amazing for me,” he said.
But Dallas knows what to say and what to do. Adding Kristaps Porzingis was a deal made, in part, because Dallas has rethought its aspirations for the near future based off the dramatic impact Doncic has made.
“He’s ready,” Nowitzki said, when asked about Doncic’s capacity to handle any new challenges NBA life might throw at him.
Nowitzki almost certainly is in his last season as a player in Dallas and in the league. His impact has been powerful enough that he still might be the spiritual heartbeat of the franchise even after his departure.
But as his final bow draws nearer, the torch passing already is in full flow. The man who shoulders Dallas’ new dreams is not long removed from being a boy, and his future is now.