There’s no debate on whether or not Luka Doncic is a great player; he is exceptional on the offensive end with a court awareness that rivals Lebron James, passes that mirror John Stockton’s and an ability to score at will with some of the greats like Jordan, Nowitzki, and Bryant. His skills have been on full display during the playoffs this year as he, along with Kyrie Irving, willed his team past a surging Minnesota Timberwolves team to make it to the NBA Finals. The first Finals for Doncic and a 13 year return for the Dallas Mavericks since Nowitzki won a title in 2011; the Mavericks have their backs against the wall down 3 games to one and the series may very well end on Monday, June 17, but I have to address the petulant elephant in the room when it comes to Doncic.
Anyone who is even a remotely average fan of the NBA or even international play is aware of Luka’s temperament as a player on the court as his overzealous nature of arguing with officials over blown or missed calls leads to chaos on the other end. The amount of possessions I’ve witnessed where Doncic took himself out of the transition game on the defensive solely because he would berate the referee over what he deemed a foul. It puts his own team at a 4 against five disadvantage in transition and the Finals has put the biggest spotlight on the impact a handful of lost possessions can do to your chances of winning. The most notable moment in these Finals is not the Boston Celtics running roughshod over the Mavericks or Tatum and Brown being a dynamic duo, it’s Luka throwing a hissy fit after fouling out of Game 3 with four minutes to go.
The game was tightly contested as the Mavericks jumped to a commanding lead early in the matchup, but Boston took back control and the scale tipped over…more like collapsed into a pile of counterweights and pins when Doncic committed two foolhardy fouls in rapid succession and fouled out of the game. Luka’s final foul came when he attempted to take a charge during the Celtics transition and while calling a charge or a blocking foul has the slimmest of margins, it wasn’t even a wise decision for Doncic to try drawing something as menial as a transition foul during the stage of the game. Upset with the call, Doncic turned into a pouty and petulant teenager whose parents took away his “GameBoy” because he didn’t finish his chores.
I understand entirely that competition at the highest level ignites emotions at the highest level and while officiating, especially in the NBA, has been questioned for its legitimacy and accuracy over the last few seasons, there is still a set standard of decorum between the players and referees. There is a long history of animosity between the two parties, but rarely have we seen a player at Doncic’s caliber make his objections so vocal and with such a child-like vigor. Of course, when you dig deeper into his history, Luka has been well-documented as being verbally hostile and aggressive with not just officials during international play, but the organizers of the tournament. This isn’t how anyone, including an NBA superstar should behave on the court.
Luka was able to recover from his temper tantrum in game three with a commanding performance in game four; perhaps getting everyone riled up about his behavior is his own Jordanesque way of “taking it personally” but behavior like his will only carry you so far. Leadership plays such a vital role in the NBA and especially during the playoffs and while his teammates follow him into battle, they seem to simply roll their eyes and twiddle their thumbs when their leader flies off the handle after a missed reach-in foul. There is so much more to being an effective leader other than being the most talented player on the court, you need the mental fortitude and maturity to withstand anything that doesn’t go your way and in a seven-game series, many things won’t go your way and it takes a disciplined mind to overcome that feeling. I don’t think Doncic has reached that level yet.
I have no doubt Doncic can be one of the all-time offensive powerhouses this league has ever seen, but without a drastic change in his temperament and discipline, barking at the officials and stomping his feet will do more harm than good. Only time will tell.