Mavs' Luka Doncic Speaks on Minutes Concerns: 'I Can Play 48'
With a player the caliber of Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic comes the responsibility of ensuring he's consistently at his best and not burnt out for the season's stretch run toward the playoffs.
Doncic is second in the league in minutes played per game, averaging 37.4 through 47 games this season. The Slovenian guard only trails Chicago Bulls forward DeRozan, who averages 37.7 minutes played per game. Doncic's 37.4 minutes played per game is the most of his career, and that number has increased by nearly a minute each season throughout his six years in the NBA.
Luka Doncic.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
While Doncic's minutes have drawn concern, he's more than willing to play the entire game if needed.
"I'm fine, 48 [minutes] if you need it," Doncic said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I like playing basketball. [I can play] 48 or 43. Not less than that."
The five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA guard has made the most of his minutes, averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game this season and has crept into the MVP conversation with the Mavs' recent success. During Dallas' six-game winning streak, Doncic has only played over 40 minutes twice.
For the season, he has played over 40 minutes 14 times.
There's no disputing how much better Dallas is with Doncic on the court, but the goal shouldn't be to use him as much as possible during the regular season. If the Mavs are going to have any shot in the playoffs, they'll need to have Doncic at full strength.
If Mavs guard Kyrie Irving can continue to play how he has since his return from a sprained thumb and the rest of the supporting cast contributes to produce at the level we've seen since the trade deadline, that could give Doncic the occasional breathers he needs to be ready for pivotal games down the stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.
