The Mavericks haven’t been afraid to gamble in the Luka Dončić era.
Dallas’s phenom guard emerged as a force to be reckoned with across the league within his first few months in the Metroplex, accelerating the Mavericks’ rebuild in short order. Kristaps Porziņģis was acquired in a blockbuster trade just 49 games into Dončić’s career. Coach Rick Carlisle left the organization in June 2021 before Dallas hired Jason Kidd, a move at least partly attributed to Carlisle’s clashing with Dončić. As Dončić approached his fourth NBA season, Dallas’s directive was clear: Do everything possible to build a winner around the team’s generational talent.
Dončić scoring and assist totals suggested he was cruising to another All-NBA selection for the first portion of 2021–22. He averaged 25.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game before the calendar turned to February, flirting with a season-long triple double in what has become an annual occurrence. But a deeper look suggests Dončić wasn’t truly playing like someone who belonged anywhere near the MVP race.
