Luka Doncic has only been with the Mavericks for six years, but he has already cemented his legacy as one of the all-timers. He could retire today and still be adopted into the NBA Hall of Fame. The only reason many fans might be uncertain about his number-one spot is that he has yet to win a ring with the Mavs, which fan-favorite Dirk Nowitzki won in 2011 after a hell of a playoff run.
Doncic, in only his seventh year in the NBA, has played 50 playoff games and 400 regular season games. In that time, he has been named NBA Rookie of the Year one time, made the All-Rookie Team once, the All-NBA team five times, NBA Rookie of the Month five times, NBA Player of the Month five times, NBA Player of the Week 13 times, NBA Player of the Month five times and NBA All-Star team five years straight, a record he holds with Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant.
His handle on the sport was on full display in the Mavericks 2024 run, where he played an instrumental part in reaching the NBA finals. The Celtics were favorites to win with -225 odds, but the fans of the Mavericks were still in for a shout despite their odds of +185 because they had a certain Slovenian on their payroll. Speaking of odds and chances, Texans can’t place a wager legally within the state, neither on the Dallas Mavericks nor on other professional franchises. What they can do is turn to offshore sportsbooks, which allow them to safely wager on their favorite team without legal consequences. As betting analyst Victor Arum puts it, such platforms are even more attractive, as many of them provide instant crypto payouts and an additional layer of security (source: https://www.sportstalkphilly.com/texas). With the new NBA season starting in two weeks, that’s a way to go and bet on Luka’s output in the forthcoming games.
Doncic is generally a player who is known to give his all on the court, whether in the NBA or for his home country, Slovenia. Even when the team as a unit fails to deliver, he is always that bright spark that threatens a comeback. In the loss against Croatia this summer, in just over thirty minutes, he posted a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal to cap it off.
It is why it is all the more exciting to wonder what this generational talent has in store, considering that he is not yet at his peak. In a study by Tony Salameh titled “An empirical analysis of prime performing age of NBA players; when do they reach their prime?” Tony wrote, “The findings suggest that the prime performing age of NBA players is between 27 and 31 years old, with a slight decline in performance after the age of 32.” Just for the record, Dončić was born in 1999, so we’re yet to see his prime.
With historical data to go on, the study does confirm that Doncic still hasn’t hit his developmental ceiling. Having shown so much and still promising plenty, it is little wonder that many fans of the sport are certain Doncic not only can but WILL get his ring. The question has always been when, and now we kind of have an idea, at least a range. It will be quite the sight when Doncic peaks; it will be scary for the league, but the Maverick fans will have the last laugh with popcorn in hand.
-in collaboration with Bazoom
