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Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd opened up on the maturity and growth of franchise superstar Luka Doncic in the last two seasons after the franchise returned to the Conference Finals after their last appearance in 2022.
"He was probably on the cusp of being one of the best players in the world then, but now he's one of the best players in the world. He's older, his maturity, he's seen every defense, the double teams."
Kidd added that the experience of the last two seasons has helped Doncic understand what needs to be done better.
"Being able to use his experience here, the experience of going through the last couple of years. Understanding '22, then last year, and now being able to use those two years to get to where we are today. I think he's different in that way. He's worked on his game and he's gotten better."
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd on how Luka Doncic is different now compared to two years ago when they last made the Conference Finals:
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 21, 2024
"He was probably on the cusp of being one of the best players in the world then, but now he's one of the best players in the world. He's older, his… pic.twitter.com/7qZi0tl7EO
Luka Doncic is averaging 27.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.1 assists in the 2024 Playoffs. Despite these numbers looking excellent, this is the worst production run of Doncic's career as he has dealt with injuries to his ankle, knee, and back.
He seemed to have gotten healthier by the end of the OKC Thunder series, putting up masterful triple-doubles in Games 5 and 6 to send the Mavs to the Conference Finals.
Doncic averaged 31.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in the 2022 Playoffs, taking a much larger personal load to create offense for the limited roster he had then unilaterally.
His individual excellence enabled that run, but a more mature Doncic has trusted teammates like Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, and Dereck Lively II more to enable winning this time around.
Luka Doncic Needs To Have A Signature Series
The high expectations Doncic set from the ages of 20 to 23 in the NBA have ended up people holding him to an incredibly high standard. Missing the Playoffs last season did major damage to his legacy, but he had one of the greatest regular seasons in modern history to lead the Mavs to 50 wins and be in the position they're in.
Doncic will need to replicate his regular-season production of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, if not improve on it, to beat the Timberwolves.
The Wolves are better suited to stop offensive explosions from the likes of P.J. Washington or the Mavericks' centers by virtue of their team makeup. Doncic is a one-man wrecking crew on offense when he wants to be, and he'll need to find that version of himself again.
Luka had a usage rate of 27.1% against the OKC Thunder, the lowest of his career in any playoff series. Comparatively, he had his career's highest usage rate (40.3%) in their miraculous series win over the Phoenix Suns in 2022 where Doncic single-handedly outproduced all key Suns' players.
Doncic needs to be able to channel that version of himself after playing this Playoff run passively due to his injuries. Hopefully, the three days of rest between matchups will help him recover.
He averaged 36.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 10.5 assists in two games against the Wolves this season, leading to one win and one loss. If he can replicate similar production with the solid roster around him, the Mavericks could be headed to their first NBA Finals since 2011.
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