This playoffs season has seen a lot of emerging stars but one name has stood out; Dallas Mavericks’ Guard Luka Dončić. Not only does he seem to be captivating fans with his performance, but his gameplay has left analysts impressed too, one of them being ESPN’s, Brian Windhorst. He claims that the Mavericks, led by Luka are probably the biggest threat to the reigning champs, the Nuggets in the playoffs this year.

As per Brian, it is Dončić’s maturity and defense abilities that can make all the difference here. Windhorst said, “I mean, this was probably the best defensive game he’s played in his career. The Clippers shot 2 of 17, I’m going to say this again. The Clippers shot 2 of 17 with Luka as the primary defender. This guy has been a defensive whole most of his career. He’s gonna get done at both ends.”

Brian even compared Luka’s performance to Kyrie Irving’s, stating how this combination of skills can act like a “warning sign” to the entire league. Probably the fact that Doncic can be in control of the situation on the court adds to his credibility with the powerful team that is the Mavs, defensively. Together, they can dig an impactful hole for anyone.

The possible reason why all of the appreciation for Doncic is coming in is in the wake of the powerful performance he threw in the Clippers’ face, with a thrilling victory, 96-93. Everyone could see his solid performance that night. he brought their field goal percentage down to 36.8 and their three-point percentage to a mere 26.7. He finished the game with a whopping 32 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds, guiding his team to victory. If the Mavericks keep progressing like this, of course, the Nuggets have a problem on their hands.

Luka Doncic can elevate the level

Even though Dončić joined the draft as an offensive player, he has faced criticism for his defensive abilities. But on Tuesday, that wasn’t the case. Defensively, Luka finished the game with a 25% field goal percentage, meaning that he was able to guard 1-of-4 of his opponent’s shots. He is proving his mettle, and making a name for himself as being as perfect as a defender, as he is an offensive player.

His offense rating for this season has been 119.6 and his defense rating is 113.8. Luka’s skills are well-rounded and it might be time that he is considered a two-way player. If this pattern continues, Doncic will never fail to get the job done on both ends, elevating his and his team’s chances to rise against the Nuggets and other teams in the league.

Perhaps Windhorst recognizes his skill. Probably that’s why he said, “He knows where to go, he’s got teammates who construct the floor”. And probably HC Jason Kidd has always been waiting for this side to come out. Of course, he is one of the best players in the league, and with his developing defensive side, he can consistently lead the team to be the new champions soon enough.