Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
Luka Doncic is doing his best Superman impression this season, piggybacking the Dallas Mavericks to victory on most nights. But the team is far from perfect, and despite their Western Conference Finals run last year, they find themselves at 14-13 on the year.
While Doncic and his teammates are the ones fighting for a win each and every night, it’s up to head coach Jason Kidd to make a lot of the little decisions. And after Doncic called for a coach’s challenge early in the team’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kidd poked fun at the young star after the game.
“I listen to him a lot, but it’s hard to do it right after the jump ball,” Kidd said. “It’s hard to do it in the second quarter. … He might think I have some since I haven’t used a lot of them this season, that they carry over.”
Coaches only get one challenge per game, and even if they win it, they don’t get a second. Doncic thinks that rule should change.
“If you get the first one right, you should have another one,” Doncic said. “That’s a good rule.”
However, Kidd understands why the NBA might be against that sort of thing.
“Man, it’d be a long game,” Kidd said. “I don’t think TV wants us going four hours.”
Regardless of his thoughts on Kidd’s challenge strategy, Doncic still put up solid numbers against the Thunder on Monday night. He dropped 38 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists on 13-of-27 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Mavericks Interested in Veteran Forward
As Doncic and Kidd are worried about the game-to-game decisions, the organization has to have their eyes on the bigger picture. Dallas should constantly be looking at ways to improve the team around Doncic right now and moving forward.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Mavericks have recently “expressed interest” in trading for Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
“Bogdanovic’s strong play has led numerous playoff-caliber teams around the league to express interest in trading for him, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, among several others, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Thus far, Detroit has been unwilling to engage in trade talks for the 33-year-old forward. Rival executives, however, are hopeful that stance changes closer to the deadline if Detroit continues to remain in the cellar of the East, with Cade Cunningham expected to miss the rest of the season.”
Mavericks Urged to Change Starting 5
In addition to potential roster-altering moves, the Mavericks were recently urged to make a change to the starting lineup. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Dallas should remove Spencer Dinwiddie from the starting lineup.
“Splitting up Dončić and Dinwiddie—perhaps by swapping in the ascending Josh Green—could be a boon for both Dallas’ first five and its reserve unit. As the spark leader of the second team, Dinwiddie could be an asset,” Buckley wrote.
Placing Dinwiddie in a role where he can be the primary ball-handler and shot-creator off the bench could benefit both him and Doncic. Plus, Green’s defense and newfound shooting stroke would pair well with Doncic’s playstyle.
