When we think of Luka Dončić, we think of a great scorer.
Maybe also a consummate point guard.
Or even a solid defensive player, at least judging from the way he’s taking that end of the court seriously this season.
What is less obvious is the sort of leader the sixth-year superstar has become.
That’s not always easy to see. But we got a wonderful example of that leadership Sunday in the Mavericks’ 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Derrick Jones Jr. had missed a three-pointer with 53 seconds left and the Mavericks up 109-106. Minnesota rebounded and called a timeout.
Jason Kidd picks up the story.
“The beauty of this team – a small thing tonight (showed it),” Kidd said. “He (Jones) had a great look at the three to close the game. We come into the huddle maybe to run a different play and Luka said: let’s run the same thing and get it to D-Jones. He’s going to knock it down.
“That’s what this team is built on. Our role players are playing at a high level right now. And D-Jones is one of those guys defensively and offensively that we’re counting on.”
Luka and the Mavericks were rewarded for showing that sort of faith in Jones. After the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns missed a three-pointer, Jones got the defensive rebound. The ball found its way to Dončić, who did as he said he would and fed Jones near the top of the key.
But instead of flinging another jump shot, Jones turned and found the Wolves’ defense out of position. He wasted no time flying down the lane for a gigantic slam with 24 seconds left that iced the game.
“They told me to shoot the ball again,” Jones said. “When I caught the ball, I saw Rudy (Gobert) was caught up with Dwight (Powell), so I saw a free lane. Even if he’d gotten loose from Dwight, I really don’t think he’d have jumped. I think he would have just moved out of the way.”
It was the sort of moment that shows not only Dončić’s skills on the court, but his ability to think his way around the game.
And, of course, it reflects the Mavericks’ belief in Jones, who has been one of the best values in the NBA this season.
He has fit in seamlessly with what the Mavericks are trying to accomplish. He’s averaged 10.3 points and shot 34.7 percent from three-point range – both career-best numbers.
He’s also had two double-doubles, which is two more than he had in the first seven seasons of his career.
But it’s all the dirty work Jones does that teammates appreciate.
“D-Jones, he hasn’t gotten anything written or talked about,” Kidd said. “But just his play defensively every night. He has no choice but to guard the best offensive player and he never complains.”
Against the Wolves, Jones guarded Towns, who outweighs him by 40 pounds and is half-a-foot taller. He also guarded high-scoring guard Anthony Edwards at times.
“I take the challenge on whoever I guard, regardless if (they’re) big, small, small forward,” Jones said. “I do what I got to do, try to make it a difficult night as much as I can, whenever I can.”
And by the way, the Mavericks’ overall defensive rating has risen from the lower-fourth of the NBA to a far-more-respectable 17th since before the Christmas holiday.
“We always harp on playing good defense and being able to get stops and get out and run,” Jones said. “Everybody loves offense, but the easy way to get a lot more points is to get some stops and get out on the break.”
Here’s a few other takeaways from the Mavericks’ win over Minnesota, which was unique in that neither team ever had a lead more than nine points.
Supreme confidence: All NBA players possess great confidence. That’s part of how they got where they are. But for Jones, it reaches another level. He was asked about how tough guarding Luka or Kyrie is during practice sessions. The answer: “Both them guys are special. Sometimes, you just got to get the ball in their hands and give them space.” He added that most players have “no chance” of stopping them when that happens. What percentage that would that be? “Probably 98 (percent),” Jones said. “The other two percent is me.”
More on Luka’s defense: So, it’s fair to say that it often takes a good defensive player to recognize when somebody else is making a commitment on that end of the court. Count Jones in when it comes to the way Dončić is working at the defensive end. “If he’s locked in on the defensive end, everybody should be,” Jones said. “Everybody is always saying something bad about his defense, but since I’ve been here, Luka’s been top five in our defense. He’s been doing everything he should and more. You got Luka diving on the floor sometimes for balls and getting extra plays. It shows no man is better than the other.” Kidd said he’s proud of the way Dončić has embraced the need for defense. “Will we ask him to do that for all 82, no,” Kidd said. “But I think he is up for the challenge. He doesn’t want to be known that he can play one end at a high level. He wants to be a complete player and he’s done that. Guarding KAT, we’ve asked him to do that. We’ve asked him to guard Ant (Edwards). It’s not that he’s going to shut down everyone. But he’s going to compete. He has pride. And he knows he can move his feet. Sometimes he gets in the way and sometimes he doesn’t.
Kyrie went flying: On two occasions against the Wolves, Kyrie Irving’s hustle plays won the hearts of fans. First, he went flying over the Minnesota bench into the stands to chase down a loose ball. Then, after he turned the ball over, he ran down Anthony Edwards to commit a foul and stop an easy bucket. “It sets the standard,” he said of the extra exertion. “It’s why I get up every day.”
Glass kickers: For the longest time against the Wolves, it looked like the Mavericks would never get a rebound. Anthony Edwards had three offensive boards on one possession. Rudy Gobert was bulling his way around the paint and picking off missed shots at both ends. But when the dust settled, the Mavericks had 24 second-chance points and the Wolves had 21, despite having 18 offensive rebounds to the Mavericks’ 15. It proves that grabbing offensive rebounds is important, but putting them to good use is even better.
X: @ESefko
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