Dallas Mavericks Forward Calls Out Anonymous Report on Superstar Luka Doncic

The takes have been hot since Tuesday's Game 1 loss and one player is here to set the record straight

May 7, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Howard Beck, a longtime NBA writer currently working for The Ringer, published a piece called "The On-and-Off Debate About Luka Doncic" following Tuesday's Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In that piece, Beck and his sources criticized Doncic's heliocentric play style, claiming other players don't enjoy playing with the Slovenian superstar.

"One veteran assistant coach," writes Beck, "underscoring the ball-dominance issue, said you can almost sense a 'sigh of relief' among Doncic’s teammates when he checks out of a game, 'because it opens up a little more freedom' for others to make plays. 'It’s a sense of, "Hey, now we get to play,"' the coach said. 'It’s difficult to have any rhythm if you’re not touching the ball.' And when Doncic is off the floor, it’s a chance for those teammates to show 'we don’t have to depend on him.'"

READ MORE: Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks See Many Adjustments for Game 2 Against OKC Thunder

Doncic's play style has been a hot topic for the last few seasons, with many believing having one ball-dominant guard doesn't lead to long-term success. His usage rate has led the NBA 3 of the past 4 seasons, which has resulted in three playoff berths and two 50-win seasons.

Veteran Mavericks forward Markieff Morris is here to set the record straight, though.

Cap! We’re trying to win a chip go head with this foolishness! #PRAVIMVP https://t.co/LP1gjGOd1H

— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) May 9, 2024

"Cap! We're trying to win a chip go head with this foolishness! #PRAVIMVP" Morris said on Twitter ("cap" means "not true," while #PRAVIMVP is a rough Slovenian translation for "the real MVP" for those not used to the lingo). Dallas wore "Pravi MVP" warmup shirts towards the end of the season and it's cool to see it sticking even after it was announced Nikola Jokic won the MVP this season.

Morris has been the perfect veteran presence for this team. He was initially seen as a throw-in with Kyrie Irving in the trade that brought them to Dallas last season, but he's been great with the young players and sticks up for the superstars.

The timing of the article is certainly curious. Even without Doncic playing close to 100% healthy, the last thing you want to do is give him any extra motivation and it makes you wonder how long Beck was sitting on that article, waiting to drop it.

It's also fair to question the legitimacy of that quote; the only players who you could argue are seeing less usage because of playing with Doncic are Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr., but Irving has loved his time in Dallas and gets along very well with Doncic. Hardaway Jr. has been in trade rumors the last few seasons and you could make an argument for him, but even he gets wide-open looks generated for him because of Doncic's gravity. Players like Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, and Dereck Lively II all have a much easier time on offense because Doncic can and often does deliver a ball with pinpoint accuracy. As we've seen with Dorian Finney-Smith, who was sent to Brooklyn in the trade for Irving last year, it's not always easier to generate offense without a megastar like Doncic setting you up.

The entire Mavericks team will have a chance to set the record straight in Game 2 tonight at 8:30 p.m. CST at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Have Yet To Win a Game 1 Under Jason Kidd, Is It A Concern?

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