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Andre SnellingsESPN
Luke Magic.
what do you mean?
For some people, Luka’s game is magical.
For others, it might mean that Luke looks a bit like modern humans magic johnson.
No matter where you land on your nickname, you’re bound to see more magic. Luka Doncic This season is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Doncic currently leads the fantasy league in basketball points in both averages and totals, and during the season he posted 2,213 FPs with 63.2 FP/G, well ahead of second place. Nikola Jokic (60.0 FP/G and 2,041 FP total) In each category, no one else is within shouting distance.
Last season, Doncic averaged 6th and was 7th overall, almost 10 FP/G behind leader Jokic.
So… what happened so far this season? Where did Doncic find this special magic?
The first answer isn’t quantitative, but it’s easy to see. He entered this season in noticeably better shape than in previous seasons. Luca has a reputation for getting in shape as the season progresses and reaching his peak heading into the postseason.
Especially for a player like Doncic, who is at the center of nearly every Mavericks offensive possession, not being the best obviously affects what a player can do game after game. Because he’s fitter, he’s able to do more in each match and at a higher level.
Additionally, players are more prone to injury if they are not at their best. Doncic has missed double-digit games in three of his first four NBA seasons, including a career-high 17 last season.
Doncic has appeared in 35 of the Mavericks’ 38 games so far this season, with no back-to-back absences, all apparently for maintenance. And he’s doing this while averaging his career-high 37.0 MPG, giving him more time and opportunity than ever before.
But it’s not just volume. Doncic’s on-court efficiency is also at a career high. He is averaging 46.4 points per 100 possessions, putting him about 5 PP100 more than his previous career high of 41.5 PP100 in his sophomore campaign. He’s also averaging his career-low 4.9-to-P100, a full 1.5-to-P100 less than he did last season.
He has career-bests of 50.7 FG% and 35.9 3P%, and has a career-best true shooting percentage of 61.9 TS% (composite shooting percentage that takes into account field goal, 3-point, and free throw percentages). I’m here. Even his defensive numbers of 2.3 steals per 100 and 0.8 blocks per 100 are career highs.
Let’s take a look at what Luca hasn’t done on the actual court this season.
For one thing, his scoring has improved dramatically from midrange dribbling.According to Second Spectrum, Doncic’s four most common shot types over the last three seasons have been step backs and driving layups. , pull-up jumper, and driving floater.
Doncic’s effective field goal percentage (taking into account EFG%, FG% and 3P%) at step backs this season was 53.5 EFG%, up slightly from the 52.2 EFG% he posted on shots the previous two seasons. I’m here.
Driving layups are a similar story, improving from 62.9 EFG% the last two seasons to 66.3 EFG% this season.
But the biggest difference is in the driving floater and pull-up jumper, which have improved from below-average marks of 49.9 EFG% and 47.8 EFG% respectively over the past two seasons to glorious marks of 62.2 EFG% and 54.5 EFG% respectively. ,This season.
Why is Doncic working so effectively in the middle of the court this season? Partly because he has more open space to work with.lost mavericks Jalen Brunson One result of that is a more leaning towards Luca-centric dramatic attacks, surrounded by purely spot-up shooters.
During his time with the Mavs, two of Branson’s most common shots were the drive layup and the pullup jumper. He was creating for himself off the dribble. Starting lead guard Spencer Dinwiddie’s two most common shot types this season have been driving his layups and catch-and-shoots, and the Mavs lead guard has given Luca more work this season than before. It indicates that there is a high possibility of letting go.
In fact, with the exception of Luca, the next seven most frequent shooters after the Mavs all have “catch and shoot” as one of their two most common shot types. And the main shooter is really knocking down those chances with a high clip.
Dinwiddie is smashing catch-and-shoot opportunities with a clip of 73.3 EFG%, compared to Branson’s 62.0 EFG% in a Mavs uniform.
New primary scoring big man Christian Wood Knocking down his catch and shooting with 72.2 EFG%. Kristaps Porzingis I had a catch-and-shoot chance with the Mavs and shot.
Both Dinwiddie and Wood are knocking down long-range jumpers with great amount and efficiency (Dinwiddie’s 2.6 3PG and 40.9 3P% are both career bests, while Wood’s 1.8 3PG is a personal best of 40.3 3P%). %), the opposing team cannot simply collapse with Luca. Paint without burning over and over again. And then you can see what Luka is doing with the extra space.
So, in summary, Luka Doncic entered this season in the best physical condition he’s been in years, if not ever, resulting in the best time of his career while maintaining the best health of his career. You can play in numbers. The Mavericks have adapted the system to lean more into Luka’s Magic-like team offensive abilities, surrounding him with a supporting cast that has been successful in catch-and-shoot roles. I was. The result has created more space in the middle of the opposing defense for Doncic to work, and he’s finishing with career-best rates in those areas of the court.
what is the end result?
Luke Magic.
In the final five games of PS 2022, Doncic averaged 45.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 10.2 APG triple-doubles in three 50-point games. Doubled against the Knicks. For Luka Doncic, his best performance of the season is very likely yet to come, and it’s scary to think about.
