There is a perception around the league that Luka Doncic has been pushing the Dallas Mavericks to find a long-term costar for him. Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon of ESPN stated on March 4th that Doncic and head coach Jason Kidd were the driving force behind the Kyrie Irving trade.
Both men were disappointed that the team was hovering around 500 and felt Dallas could only improve by acquiring a costar for Doncic.
The ball dominant style of Luka Doncic
Unfortunately, Luka Doncic has the wrong mentality, as his game makes it difficult for a costar to thrive alongside him. Doncic does most of his offensive damage as a primary ball handler. Luka has led the Dallas Mavericks in touches since arriving in the league averaging 90 per game.
Those touches have allowed him to spend 42.1% of his offensive possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler averaging 11.7 per game. He has thrived in the play type shooting 47.5% on 8.6 attempts per game. He averages 11.6 points per game in the play type.
Luka Doncic’s second favorite play type has been isolation. He spends 17.7% of his possessions in the play type averaging 5 per game. He is shooting 43.2% on 3.9 attempts per game. Luka is averaging 9 points per game within the play type.
Although Luka is phenomenal as a ball handler, his effort and production severely decrease when he is off the ball. Luka Doncic has only taken a catch and shoot three 6.4% of the time throughout his career, averaging 1.2 per game.
Catch, and shoots are the best way for Luka to contribute off the ball, as he doesn’t cut to the basket or come off a screen that often. He averages less than 0.6 possessions in each play type. Luka Doncic’s playing style has forced former costars to spend a significant amount of time in the floor spacer role.
Doncic’s impact on star teammates
For example, Luka Doncic dribbled the ball up the court early in the first quarter against the Lakers. Once he got past half court, Luka stopped and waited for Dwight Powell to set a screen. He proceeded to go over the screen and drive toward the basket.
Powell’s defender Anthony Davis chose to focus on Luka, allowing Doncic to throw a lob for a dunk. As Doncic worked his way through the pick and roll, Kyrie Irving and Reggie Bullock stood behind the arc.
Kristaps Porzingis
Luka’s game led Kristaps Porzingis to spend 23.6% of his possessions in the spot-up role averaging 4.4 per game. Porzingis’ role contributed to him taking over 40% of his shots from behind the arc averaging 5.3 per game. Porzingis isn’t the only costar who has seen an uptick in their spot-up possessions, as Kyrie Irving is currently going through the same experience.
Irving has spent 18.4% of his possessions in the spot-up role averaging 4.2 per game in 9 outings. It is a 6.5% increase from the previous 40 games in Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving is taking 40% of his shots from behind the arc averaging 8 per game, 1.5 % lower than his time in Brooklyn this season.
Luka Doncic’s playing style suggests that he will force other costars to be the floor spacer role. Therefore, Dallas needs to surround Luka with several quality shooters instead of signing another star to a max contract.
Check out my last post: Luka Doncic is the source of the Dallas Mavericks defensive issues
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