The Mavericks’ season is doomed, but at least they have Luka Doncic to enjoy

The Dallas Mavericks are reeling. They’ve lost 15 of their last 20 games and have been blasted left and right by teams in the playoff hunt. Their starting point guard called out sick and is only returning after a weird standoff with the team failed. After starting the season 15-11, they’re five games behind the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

But at least Mavs fans can enjoy Luka Doncic, the walking highlight reel who doubles as the Slovenian step-back machine. Doncic recorded his first career triple-double Monday. At 19 years, 327 days old, he is now the second-youngest player to record a triple-double in NBA history, only behind Philly’s Markelle Fultz.

Again, we’re ignoring the Mavericks’ 116-106 loss to Milwaukee on purpose.

Doncic is undoubtedly the face of this Dallas Mavericks franchise moving forward. He’s the runaway Rookie of the Year front-runner, averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season. If he maintains 20/6/5 averages for the entire year, he’ll join Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies in NBA history with that stat line.

This is the reason why the Dallas Mavericks gave away their 2019 first-round draft pick (top-five protected) to trade up in last year’s draft and select him. He’s every bit as good as his proponents claimed him to be, and he’s hushed every single naysayer, one impressive off-the-dribble jump shot at a time.

Yes, the Mavericks had their fair share of controversy. Dennis Smith, Jr. will finally return to the team on Tuesday after calling out sick, then subsequently being involved in trade talks. Smith was the man in Dallas as rookie, and has now been firmly moved over to the passenger’s seat thanks to Doncic. That’s a cloud hanging over the team until a resolution is found — on the court or off.

Little else has gone right in Dallas. Free agent signing DeAndre Jordan has given disappointing effort all year. Wes Matthews and Harrison Barnes have failed to progress, and beloved backup point guard J.J. Barea tore his Achilles. Dirk Nowitzki isn’t exactly going out gracefully thanks to a slow recovery from his injury.

But forget all that and just enjoy things like this ridiculous pass Doncic made against the Bucks on Monday. This stand out in the middle of a losing season.

So does this step-back that he hit over Kevin Durant in Dallas’ loss to Golden State:

Of course, his ejection for kicking the ball into the stands:

And how about the endless number of step-back jumpers he has in the toolbox?

Sure, the Mavericks aren’t any good right now and they might not get much better this season. But Doncic is growing as a player every single time he steps onto the court.

He’s something the league hasn’t seen before. He’s the silver lining in a Mavericks’ season that’s gone sour.