The revamped Mavericks have advanced to the Western Conference playoffs, validating decisions that could have been deemed foolish.
True franchise players, such as Luka Doncic, who led the Dallas Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and minutes this season, are a dream come true, but with a lot of strings attached. The 25-year-old Slovenian great can do it all, yet his outstanding abilities raise championship expectations and naturally push his colleagues into supporting positions. When things don’t go as planned, fingers are automatically directed in all directions: the organization appears to be squandering its superstar’s prime, the superstar is criticized for doing too much, and his supporting cast is chastised for failing to deliver. That’s exactly where Doncic and the Mavericks were a year ago, when they missed the NBA playoffs.
