‘He has two major flaws’: Luka Dončić’s biographer on the Lakers star
A new book chronicles the Slovenian’s rise with the Dallas Mavericks, his extraordinary skills and the fallout from a trade that shook the NBA
Seventy-three points. That was Luka Dončić’s total when he led the Dallas Mavericks to a victory over the Atlanta Hawks last season. He wasn’t the only NBA player to have an explosion on offense that season – think Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns. And the league subsequently decided to change officiating to favor more physical play that would presumably cut down on high offensive output.
That’s how Tim MacMahon sees it. The veteran ESPN writer has covered Doncic since the Slovenian’s arrival in Dallas as one of the most heralded European talents in NBA history. He saw Doncic live up to his billing, leading the Mavericks to the Western Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA finals last year. And he knew that even a change in rules wouldn’t stop Donic’s stepback three.
“I mean, there’s just not a lot of ways you can guard him,” MacMahon says. “If he’s not the best passer in the league, he’s top two or three … He sees the floor as well as maybe anybody who played the game.”
MacMahon is the author of a new book on Doncic – The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness. It came out on Tuesday, and in case you were wondering, yes, there is a Texas-sized postscript to the story.
•. The Mavs are on fire after the Doncic trade. Don’t expect them to put it out
Lee Escobedo
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In February, the Mavs traded their star – who, according to the book, they had previously invested countless time and effort trying to get to stay in Dallas. Doncic was off to the
