Luka Doncic ranks among the NBA’s all-time greats in terms of scoring ability. In the 2023–24 NBA season, the 26-year-old point guard led the league in scoring.
After Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, Doncic has the third-highest career scoring average in NBA history at 28.62 points per game.
On January 26, 2024, against the Atlanta Hawks, Luka scored a career-high 73 points, putting him in the conversation for fourth-highest scoring game in NBA history.
Luka, nevertheless, isn’t a murderer only when the game is in session.
When it comes to regular practice, he is just as lethal, says his ex-teammate Kyrie Irving. The 2023–24 season was one of two that Irving and Doncic spent together.
They helped the Dallas Mavericks reach the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Boston Celtics.
During scrimmage games, Luka would allegedly nonchalantly throw down ridiculous statistics against his own teammates, according to Kai.
Kai said Luka is just as deadly in practice as he is during games
Much was said about Luka this past season when the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal that saw Anthony Davis go to Dallas.
GM Nico Harrison consistently pointed out that he was out of shape, while team owner Patrick Dumont alluded that he did not have the work ethic of the all-time greats.
However, during a recent stream where he was asked if Luka was “really like that” in practice too, Kyrie revealed that his Hermano was just as deadly even when playing behind closed doors in the Mavericks’ practice facility.
He went on to reveal how Doncic once torched a teammate during scrimmage.
“He’s giving you probably like 60, 18, and 18. I witnessed him give somebody 24 points in three minutes,”said Irving.
Was it Grant Williams?
Irving’s statement drew many reactions online, and many wondered which Mavericks player Luka annihilated in Kai’s story. Many speculated it was former Mavericks wing/forward Grant Williams — and they might be right. Over a year ago, Dallas assistant GM Michael Finley mentioned a practice incident involving Luka and Grant.
“So one day in practice,” recalledFinley. “A player in our team, I won’t call his name out, but it was Grant Williams, who decided he wanted to get under Luka’s skin. He thought Luka didn’t come that day ready to practice.
“To make a long story short, we had a scrimmage going, and he’s talking trash to Luka up and down the court. So finally, Luka says, ‘Okay.’ And I tell you, Luka went on a 26-6 run by himself. You can ask anybody. I’m not exaggerating. He showed everything. The threes, the post up, the floaters, everything, by himself,” he added.
Finley’s story might be the very same one Irving referred to, except Kai likely lost track of Luka’s points simply because there were too many to count.
Or both were talking about different instances, which, if that’s the case, only adds more to the legend of Doncic.
But remember that the Mavs signed Williams to a four-year free agent deal only to trade him before he could complete Year 1.
The rumour was he rubbed some feathers the wrong way because of his yapping. Or perhaps it was simply that he wasn’t the defender they anticipated, as the Slovenian sensation lit him up for 24 points in just three minutes.
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