Luka Doncic talks about Sacramento draft snub, the rise of the Mavs / News - Basketnews.com

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic briefly talked about being snubbed by the Sacramento Kings in his draft year and how the Mavericks developed this year to become one of the hottest current teams in the NBA.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con - Scanpix

Since being selected third by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft, Luka Doncic has been one of the best guards in the league and one of the best European players in recent memory.

Luka Doncic

Team:Dallas MavericksPosition:PG, SGAge:25Height:201 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Ljubljana, SloveniaProfileNewsStatistics

Having stayed loyal to the Mavericks, Doncic, despite having a tremendous individual impact as a player, was not able to raise the NBA trophy so far in his 6-year career.

However, after the Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving last year and the American finally made his adaptation into the team this season, the Mavericks have been flying high, being in a very good rhythm ahead of the post-season.

Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Doncic talked about being snubbed by the Sacramento Kings for 2nd pick Marvin Bagley III in 2018 and how the Mavericks improved throughout the course of the season.

"They weren't [upset] at the beginning," the Slovenian guard said about Sacramento fans' behavior after the team elected not to draft him in 2018. "Not in the beginning. They just saw [what they missed out on] after," he continued. Very recently, Doncic got into trash-talk with Vlade Divac, Sacramento's GM, on this very topic.

While that incident made headlines, what is perhaps more important is the fact that the Mavericks have been flying high recently, winning 7 games in succession at a time when the post-season picture is being settled.

"[O]ur main [development] is our defense, and defense wins games," Doncic explained. "So when we have me and Ky [Kyrie Irving] out there on offense, we can create shots for anybody when they double-team us. So we just play out of that," he revealed the benefits of having two dominant guards in the team.

As the guard explained, defense has been key for the Mavericks this year, unlike in the seasons before, where it was lagging behind the team's offense. According to Doncic, two factors have contributed to a stronger Mavericks' defense this season.

Luka Doncic

MIN:37.41PTS:34 (56.89%)REB:9.14As:9.78ST:1.48BL:0.52TO:3.97GM:65ProfileNBA2023/2024

"They changed the officiating for sure. It's definitely harder. They let much more contact go, but I like it because we can play defense," the Slovenian international first identified the changes in NBA refereeing that have made defenses more palpable.

"Those two guys that we got at the trade deadline, P.J. [Washington] and Gaff [Daniel Gafford], they help us a lot," Doncic praised his new teammates. "They never complain. They just play hard every play, and they are our two, I think, best defensive guys."

We've got D. Jones [Derrick Jones], and everybody plays together. We have a five-man defense, which is very important. The whole team is special, man," the guard concluded, talking about the already-visible chemistry that the team has, particularly the one they developed after the expiry of the trade deadline.

One of the main reasons behind a good season for the Mavs is undoubtedly Luka Doncic's performance. In his arguably best year in the NBA, the guard is averaging an almost triple-double of 34 points [league-high], 9.1 rebounds, and 9.8 assists [league-third] per game.

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