Why do teams have the Swiss Army knife of basketball when they know there are scissors, can openers, screwdrivers, corkscrews, and probably a few other tools available that they haven't discovered yet? Should I just use a knife and a bottle opener? ?
At Real Madrid, Luka Doncic was often used as a forward. He regularly played alongside Goran Dragic in the Slovenian national team as part of the trio, but last summer he also played without Dragic. What if the Mavericks took advantage of his versatility and forced a defensive adjustment by using him more as a three-man in spurts?
Luka Doncic is one of the best point guards in the world. Part of what makes him such a dominant presence is not only his massive size at 6'7 (201 cm), but also his mastery of the game at every level.
His time in Madrid and with the Slovenian national team proved that it is by no means unreasonable to conclude that Luka can play positions 1-5 almost seamlessly from the start, against most opponents. Dallas is already trying to use him less by having other players move the ball up the court, but what if they bring in Luka Doncic to add more shooting (or power) up front and use him as a secondary initiator? What will happen?
If the Dallas Mavericks were to further maximize his versatility and use him as a straight wing in the short term, many benefits would surface.
Doncic will not only avoid bringing the ball up the floor, but he will play to many of his other strengths – and more importantly, he will add tools to Dallas' toolbox, allowing defenses to scramble and back and forth. It is about forcing adjustments.
This tool, if used properly, will become part of your in-game toolbox of available adjustments, not just match-up dependent.
One of the strengths of this strategy is that Doncic can take advantage of mismatches to allow for more post-ups, and he can do this efficiently at an elite level. (Discrepancies can be easily spotted by alternating between screens and borders).
It will also create more catch-and-shoot situations, especially spot-up shots, which he has excelled at this season. Currently, he is hitting 43.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.
Equally important, Doncic could be used less and conserve energy on offense in the short term. Opponents have recently chosen to avoid doubling Luka, which has led to him being stagnant and struggling to score at times. Introducing a new style can create new opportunities, corner the defense and create flow. Especially when you can switch back and forth in-game.
You could also call it confusion. When you're stuck, you can change momentum by trying something new for a short period of time and then coming back (or even going back). But that requires in-game adjustments and flexibility, which not every team is capable of. But Luka Doncic is certainly talented, playing for Madrid and dominating in European leagues where tactics, strategy and execution are key.
Let's be honest, things like this happen all the time in professional basketball. Offenses bring in new systems or try to sneak something in to confuse defenses (like the famous gravity slingshot used by the Warriors and other teams). But during the long NBA season, teams don't have much time to practice between games, and they don't have much time to scout. But things change in the postseason, where strategy and tactics become the focus in a seven-game series, with new moves and counters emerging during and after each match, much like a chess match.
At Madrid, Luka played regularly in the wing position, and was listed as either a power forward or a shooting forward during his final two years at the club.
At the point, he took over the point guard position, making plays and isoing as needed, but using him as a winger was a key strategy for Real due to his height advantage. They needed him for his size under the basket, both in rebounding and defense, as well as filling in mismatches.
A video by Gregor Sevšek of Greg's Court shows Doncic practicing on the wing, cutting backdoors and using his size in the paint from the wing to make catch threes and shooting threes, as he did against Baskonia in 2018. It can be seen that
(PS: Notice how Doncic's free throws are much more automatic, instead of being wobbly, inconsistent, or short, which we've seen so often in recent years. Some of that is , the fact that his body composition has changed, which changes the shot, but it's a fascinating contrast).
The following video is from Doncic's first year with the first team (2016-17). You can clearly see here that he often played off-ball initially, receiving alley-oops. His defense is also outstanding.
However, Madrid had several talented ball handlers in Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandes, Campazzo and Jaycee Carroll.
Next to Goran Dragic on the national team, Doncic also played regularly with these three players. When Dragic retired and Slovenia lacked size, he occasionally played in threes for the same reasons as in Madrid. He can also serve as a secondary initiator on the wing, allowing Klemen Prepelic or another guard to pick up the ball and take over the initiator. Again, Doncic was able to take advantage of his post-up and rebounding size, which reduced his usage.
Let me be clear that it would be crazy to play one of the best point guards in the world as a wing forever. But there's no argument for playing him in short three-game spurts to play to his other strengths and force the defense to make adjustments.
For a team that rarely makes adjustments during games and at times is clearly lacking in offensive options, this could be a great opportunity. If Luka Doncic can use his size more, conserve a little bit of energy, and confuse defenses (creating from the wings and posting up instead of just standing in the corner), Dallas will be a little more limited. Another tool will be available in your toolbox.
That would put less stress on Luka and allow him to play to his strengths, size and skill under the basket, but he could still use his passing and vision from the wings.
However, there are some negative points as well. There's nothing he can't improve on, but it's worth noting that the team has no other players who can take his place at the point guard position and provide playmaking and creativity at the required level, including Dante Exum. That means there are only two, Kyrie Irving. And one of them seems to prefer playing off-ball (Kyrie).
This doesn't work in the long term, but does it work in the short term? absolutely.
To confuse the defense and force adjustments to take some of the load off Luka? no mistake.
The fact that Luka Doncic can play from No. 1 to No. 5 in the best basketball league in the world is not talked about enough. And maybe it's time for Dallas to actually utilize all the weapons in its arsenal instead of just a few.
After all, if you have a Swiss Army knife on your team, you might as well try out all the tools available to you. Swiss Army Knife™ says (quoted here from his company's website):
“By combining expert craftsmanship with intelligent features, Swiss-made knives offer smart solutions in every situation. Whether you're tackling the extraordinary or navigating everyday life, Swiss Army Knives™ are the perfect tool for you. Always ready.”
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