Great news, Maverick fans.
And it comes from the horse’s mouth.
Luka Dončić was asked after Friday night’s late finish in Denver about the state of the Mavericks and his answer was worth listening to.
“We still haven’t played a good game,” he said. “We won three games, but we didn’t play a good game, especially offensively. We did good on the defensive end. We just got to be better on offense.”
The Mavericks are maybe as lucky as any team in the NBA because their superstar always looks in the mirror first. It was the same with Dirk Nowitzki for all those years. Now it’s Luka who self-analyzes and stresses over every detail that he can improve on to get the most out of the Mavericks.
Dončić has been good so far this season. But he has not been MVP-great. He’d be the first to tell you that.
But five games into the season isn’t necessarily when you want to be MVP-great.
“I think he kind of went through this last year,” coach Jason Kidd said of Dončić’s 3-point shooting woes to start the season. “Understanding that we as a staff will help him, but he’s gone through this before. We’ll help him, but he’s gone through this before. This isn’t his first time.
“And sometimes it’s good to get it out early than in the middle or late in the season. That’s one positive way to look at it. But he’s got to continue to take those shots and we’ll watch film and show him what’s available if he doesn’t like that jump shot.”
If history has told us anything, it’s that you should not bet against Dončić.
He’s beaten the doubters too many times in his first three seasons. Hard to see it being any different this year.
And while they may not be hitting on all cylinders, they are 3-2 heading into Sunday’s 2:30 match with Sacramento.
First appearance: It was a poor showing Friday in Denver as the Mavericks were trounced 106-75. But it was a memorable night for one Maverick.
Rookie two-way player Eugene Omoruyi saw his first official NBA action and turned in six points, three rebounds and an assist in just under nine minutes.
Yes, the game was out of hand by then, but it still meant that Omoruyi was able to get valuable experience.
“I think Eugene did a great job for his first NBA game,” Kidd said. “The big picture is to be able to have guys like that and being able to call guys up and be ready to play and I thought Eugene did a good job.”
Omoruyi likely will spend considerable time playing for the Texas Legends in Frisco, but he has had an impact in virtually every game he’s played – summer league, preseason and on Friday.
“It’s not the result we wanted, but it was good. I came off and did what I do,” Omoruyi said. “Anytime they need me, I’m going to come up. Anytime they need me at Frisco, I’ll be in Frisco, that’s how I’m going to approach it.”
Interestingly, one of the first plays the 6-6 Omoruyi had was against Denver’s Bol Bol, who is listed at 7-2 and just 220 pounds.
“I’ve seen that the whole time I’ve been playing basketball,” Omoruyi said. “I just trust my footwork and maneuvering to get around him.”
And he did, wheeling around Bol for a layup.
Quote of the night: It goes to Kidd after the game in Denver when he was asked about having 14 assists.
“When you shoot 29 percent, that’s probably impressive to have 14 assists on 29 percent shooting,” he said.
Injury update: Kristaps Porzingis (lower back tightness) and Sterling Brown (left ankle sprain) are both listed as questionable for the matinee against Sacramento.
Both have missed the last two games.
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment