The main difference between the Luka Doncic from this game and the Luka Doncic from previous games: he was getting assists by finding three-point shooters. That’s, like, the easiest way to get assists in the NBA, but he’s been stubbornly trying to get people layups and stuff. That’s great when you can do it, but a lot of the time you can’t, and that’s when the Pauls and Rondos of the world just dribble around until they can pass to a guy standing behind the arc who is forced to shoot because of a diminishing shot clock.
Not saying that’s what Doncic did tonight, he did that stuff minus the whole pointless dribbling part, but if he wants more assists, it’s something he could look into.
The assists will come. As he gets more comfortable, and players start shooting when they get the ball from him, he’ll be racking up double-digit dimes on a regular basis. For now, this is his career-high in assists. Seems kinda low, but remember, his whole team is jealous of him right now except for J.J. Barea, who is Mexican.
And who needs assists when you can just come right in and score 20 points per game? I’m just waiting for him to hit the rookie wall at this point, there’s no way he can keep this up. Right? He’s finishing some really tough stuff around the rim, seemingly every game. Is that sustainable? What about the threes? Maybe it all is, and he’s just getting started.