Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison lauded Luka Doncic after he had a spectacular season for the team as they made it to the NBA finals but could not cross the final hurdle against the Boston Celtics. The multi-time All-Star finished the 2023-24 campaign by averaging a career-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
The Slovenian made a potent alliance with Kyrie Irving and the duo played an instrumental role in the success of the team.
Meanwhile, Harrison said they will look to retain the core group and expect everyone to return as better players for the next season. The team’s GM feels they would not have reached the NBA finals without Luka Doncic.
“We’re not where we’re at without Luka,” Harrison said Friday. “I think that’s important to point out, and we also won’t be able to get where we want to go without the best version of Luka. If you look at a guy who after Game 3 had the world on his neck — the scrutiny, which was crazy, the amount of scrutiny that he had to face — for him to focus in and do what he did in Game 4, I just think it just shows the character of him. He’s willing to fight through adversity, and I think he’s going to continue to get better.
Harrison expects Doncic to keep getting better and return as a more improved player after the NBA finals experience.
“He’s 25 years old. I think just going through the Finals, him seeing what he needs to do to be at his best in the Finals after going through a grueling end of the year and then three tough, tough [playoff] matchups, I think you’re going to see the best version of him.”
Meanwhile, Doncic was listed as questionable on many occasions in the playoffs but he played for the team with pain.
“He was hurting, but he’s a warrior,” Harrison said. “He’s going to fight through all those injuries. That’s just who he is. He loves to play.”
Doncic is now all set to represent Slovenia in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
“That’s probably one of his biggest joys,” Harrison said of Doncic playing for his country, which he led to the men’s basketball program’s first Olympic berth and a fourth-place finish three years ago. “I think as long as he can walk, he’s probably going to go out there and play for them.”
