Mavs' Luka Doncic on Pace for Historic NBA Season, But at What Cost?
With the overall talent level as high as it's ever been in the NBA, especially on the offensive end of the court, it's inevitable that we're going to see some things we've never seen before as time goes on.
That's what seems to happen with Luka Doncic on a nightly basis, as he's always either breaking some sort of record or passing up all-time NBA or Dallas Mavericks greats on various lists in pursuit of records.
The Mavs are currently 16-11 though 27 games, and Doncic is having himself a season to remember, as he's averaging 32.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists while helping his injury-riddled team navigate through a tough, deep Western Conference. If those averages hold, Doncic would become the first player in league history to average at least 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a season.
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Although that would be a great achievement for Doncic to add to his already overly-decorated mantle, we have to wonder if the load he's having to bare right now with key players like Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II and Josh Green being out due to injuries will have a price to pay later.
In December, Doncic's averages have ballooned to 35.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 11.4 assists through nine games. The problem, though, is that head coach Jason Kidd has had to play him 40.4 minutes per game during that span – five minutes higher than his average during the first 17 games he played this season – and yet, that has only resulted in a 5-4 record in those games.
As a result, Doncic has been ruled out of Friday's game with the Houston Rockets with what the team is calling a "quad strain." Kidd knows he can't play Doncic 40 minutes per game for the rest of the season without wearing him down, but with all the injuries Dallas currently has, he also doesn't know what his other options are.
"Yeah, I probably could have taken him out there when we're down [as] the lead extends," Kidd said after the Mavs' 120-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
"Also, he's the one causing problems for the [opponent]. The issue is, who can cause a problem when he's off the floor? Right now, that's what we're looking for. We're trying to find that, but it's hard when we're built around Luka. Luka penetrates, finds the open guys, and we just didn't shoot the ball well tonight there in the first half. In the third quarter, we did. Then late, we just couldn't stop Kawhi [Leonard] -- Kawhi took over the game."
Getting a fully-healthy Irving back would help Kidd solve his dilemma, as it would allow Doncic to get more in-game rest with Irving fully capable of leading the offense. Before going down with a heel contusion that has now sidelined him for six games, Irving was playing the co-star role next to Doncic well, averaging 23.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 47.1 percent overall and 38.4 percent from deep.
The bright side for the Mavs is that both Irving and Lively are no longer wearing walking boots, so maybe that means there's a chance they could be back in action before Dallas' Christmas Day matchup with the Phoenix Suns. Until then, though, the Mavs will just have to make due, and Doncic will have to take a game off every now and then if his higher-than-normal workload continues.
