3 bold announcements for Dončić in the new year
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Hello and happy (almost) New Year, Luke fans!
The year 2021 was quite tiring for everyone’s favorite 22-year-old Slovenian star:
- Another All-Star Game and a performance by LeBron.
- A remarkable second series of the finale that is short – no fault of his.
- Another All-NBA team ranking that triggered a record $ 207 million contract extension
- History at the Tokyo Olympics
- A coaching change that turned his cold relationship with Rick Carlisle into a cohesive partnership with Mavs champion Jason Kidd.
Wow
Although he did not play for most of December due to ankle pain and COVID-19, Luka’s potential and performance in 2022 will not slow down.
So it’s time to make some predictions.
Here are three bold predictions for Luka in the new year.
Luka will not start the 2022 All-Star Game
Let’s remove the most negative first.
After two consecutive starts in the Superstar showcase, Luka will not be selected as a beginner in 2022.
He has missed 13 of 34 Mavericks games so far and has not always played in top form when available.
While his mass international supporters will surely anchor the voices of fans, Lukin’s poorer start (by his high standards) and the crowd of rivals in the hinterland of the Western Conference, including Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard, could encourage him to reserve status .
Playoff Port will reach new heights
He recorded iconic moments in two playoff series against the Clippers, but Luka and Mavsi have never played beyond the first round.
Until this year.
The Mavs have already endured heavy weights, attacks, various injuries and extensive problems with COVID-19, but don’t expect the problems to continue all year, as they have more than three months to pre-season.
Until Luka can return after COVID-19 and ankle pain to look like Luka, the Mavs should run among the top 6 carriers – avoid the tournament to play and Warriors and Suns at the top of the west – and film the franchise post-season series Drought Luke is was so eager for change.
Luka and Slovenia won gold again
For all fans of American Port: Keep your calendars clear for the first half of September 2022.
At that time, Luka and Slovenija will play in EuroBasket, the prestigious European Championship every four years.
In 2017, Slovenia won its first gold medal with teenager Luka, close friend Goran Dragić and new Mavs assistant Igor Kokoškov at the helm. The small Balkan nation will compete for a repeat next September – especially after beating France in the Olympic semifinals by acrobatic blocking.
While Luka may have chosen not to play because Olympic training this summer seemed to have hampered his NBA readiness, his pride should be playing for the home country and an opportunity to take advantage of Eurobasket as pre-workout preparation, enough to ensure you watch more of Luke’s theatrical performance in the off-season of the NBA.
Photo of the week
Doncic deets
Luka’s statistics in 21 matches: 25.6 points, 8 rebounds, 8.5 assists; 44.7% FG, 32.6% 3FG
Best of the week: Well, Luka hasn’t played a basketball game in 20 days, but he won. He added a picture to his story on Instagram on Wednesday showing a whole bunch of victories in Overwatch, which he called his “quarantine string” in a post with exclamations and emotional symbols to express his satisfaction. The Mavs could soon take advantage of some of this successful wisdom on the pitch.
Note the following: If Luka conducts testing on COVID-19 in the coming days – which would fall under traditional 10-day quarantine – he will be active on Wednesday night against the Warriors. Overall a great game, but especially for Race Night.
Luka and Dirk have only played one season together, but Luka will be one of the most enthusiastic and inspired participants as Dirk’s jersey rises to the rafters of the American Airlines Center. Watch out for a Dallas Morning News article next week that describes Luke’s favorite memory of playing with the Mavs legend.
More Mavericks reports from The Dallas Morning News can be found here.