DALLAS — Luka Doncic has little time to reflect these days.
He’s now co-star-less, not just during Kristaps Porzingis’ injury stretches, and in the midst of one of his best career stretches.
He’s also preparing for his fourth All-Star Weekend, and his third appearance in the league’s showcase, after he capped the Mavericks’ pre-break schedule with 49 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in Thursday’s win over New Orleans.
But in a rare 1-on-1 interview with The Dallas Morning News after the Mavericks’ shootaround Thursday morning, Doncic slowed down for a few minutes.
He discussed what has fueled his post-COVID-19 surge in 2022, how this All-Star experience will be different than all the others and why he hasn’t lobbied for the Mavericks to sign his close friend and mentor Goran Dragic mid-season.
“I’m just enjoying playing basketball,” Doncic said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Doncic won’t be a starter in Sunday’s showcase after he missed a career-high 15 games in the first 2.5 months of the season and finished outside the top two in fan, player and media voting for Western Conference backcourt starters.
But since the polls closed Jan. 20, Doncic has averaged 33.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 42.7% 3-point shooting in 13 games.
In that stretch, he logged seven consecutive games with double-digit assists, a career-best mark and one shy of now-coach Jason Kidd’s franchise record. He dropped his first 50-point game and responded to ensuing double- and triple-teams with poise.
He would’ve notched his second 50-point game in a week on Thursday had he not missed two free throws in the final minute.
“Managing the game has obviously come with experience,” said Mavericks lead offensive assistant Igor Kokoskov, who first coached Doncic with the Slovenian national team in 2017. “But he was always fearless.
“He was never afraid of the moment, being on a big stage, performing in a big moment, so definitely confidence is not his weakness. That’s one thing we can definitely say. To not be afraid, your mind is open. I saw it before, but he has more experience.”
Doncic will wind up in the same spot this All-Star Weekend anyway: on Team LeBron.
When the NBA aired the All-Star captains’ draft with LeBron James and Kevin Durant, most of Doncic’s attention was elsewhere.
The Mavericks dealt Porzingis to the Wizards just before the 2 p.m. trade deadline that day, breaking up what the franchise once envisioned as a one-two star punch with Doncic.
The Clippers loomed for the first of two playoff rematches in three hours later.
But Doncic still made time to watch the draft live on TNT, when James made him the first reserve pick as “Luka Magic” and a three-time Team LeBron All-Star member.
Then he took the American Airlines Center court and tallied 28 points in the first quarter to finish with 51, the second-most in franchise history.
Magical, indeed.
“He’s one of the best players to ever play this game,” Doncic said of James. “As a kid, I look up to him, so it’s really a special moment when he picks me. I’m really glad that he picks me.
“I think that team is going to win again, hopefully, so I’ll be 3-0 after this.”
Doncic highlighted Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and James as players he’s most looking forward to spending time with in Cleveland.
And one other special guest.
In All-Star weekends past, Doncic’s girlfriend, Anamaria Goltes, and mom, Mirjam Poterbin, have accompanied him to the festivities.
But this year, his dad, Sasa, will make the trip for the first Doncic father-son All-Star experience.
“He don’t have the Supercup in Slovenia,” Doncic said of his dad’s coaching schedule, “so he will come this time.”
Doncic has rounded into peak All-Star form at the right time.
After more than eight straight months of basketball — from the start of NBA training camp in December 2021 to the Mavericks’ playoff series to the Olympic qualifying tournament to his standout run with Slovenia in Tokyo — Doncic took time to decompress in August and September.
“I relaxed a little bit too much,” Doncic said.
Since a “slow” start to his fourth NBA season, he’s incorporated more cardio and weight training into his routine so he can handle increased playing time and responsibilities without a bona fide second star.
And his diet has become a bigger focus, too.
“Chicken and rice and vegetables is the most popular [with me] because I don’t eat a lot of seafood,” Doncic said of his new habits. “Mostly just eating healthier. … That was the key to be here.”
His physical improvement has helped him avoid major injury issues — and heal nagging ailments faster than he recovered from the left knee and ankle sprains that lingered after he first suffered them Nov. 15.
He hasn’t missed a game since Jan. 7 and his presence and production has positioned the Mavericks to push for home-court advantage after the All-Star break.
After beating New Orleans on Thursday, Dallas enters the break 1.5 games behind the fourth-place Jazz. The teams will clash three times before the end of March, including their first game after the break, Feb. 25, in Utah.
But Doncic hasn’t exerted his superstar form in all facets.
Before the season, he talked with the Mavericks’ front office leaders about the possibility of adding veteran point guard Goran Dragic to the team as a backup ball handler.
Doncic was all for it.
He’s known Dragic since he was 5 years old, when Dragic and Sasa played on the same KD Slovan team and 5-year-old Luka would tag along to shoot hoops during halftime.
“My father was his mentor,” Doncic said.
The Mavericks could arrange a reunion now that Dragic has reportedly agreed to a contract buyout with the Spurs to become a mid-season free agent. But general manager Nico Harrison said after the trade deadline he didn’t plan to make another roster move.
Doncic hasn’t pushed any more for his fellow Slovenian to join him — yet.
“He’s my guy,” Doncic said. “Everybody would want their guys on their team, so we’ll see.”
