Charles Barkley implores Luka Doncic to change his game - “He’s got to learn to play without the ball”
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is having a truly spectacular individual season so far. However, former NBA player and TNT analyst Charles Barkley recently expressed his thoughts on the Mavs' shortcomings pertaining to the Slovenian star.
Luka Doncic took the NBA by storm immediately upon arrival. With a dazzling display of offensive prowess and basketball IQ in his rookie season itself, Doncic earned himself the Rookie of the Year award and was selected on the All-Rookie Team.
Since then, Doncic has only gone on to improve as a dominant force on the offensive side of the ball. While he certainly lacks athleticism, the Slovenian has repeatedly made up for it with trickery and sheer ingenuity.
The superstar's individual brilliance has garnered the attention of fans across the globe. It has also resulted in a fair amount of success for the Dallas Mavericks as they emerge as perennial playoff contenders with the Slovenian leading the way.
However, there appears to be some doubt regarding their ability to contend for the title given their current situation and approach.
As mentioned earlier, Luka Doncic is having a truly spectacular season. However, Charles Barkley expressed his thoughts on how the Mavs would continue to come up short given their current Doncic-centric approach to the game.
Speaking about the matter with the panel of "NBA on TNT", Barkley said:
"He's got to learn to play without the ball. Me and Shaq have been saying this. They can't win. Like, he's a great player but he's going to have to learn to play without the ball, give it up more.
"He's got Powell and those other guys just waiting on him to do everything. Those guys want to see what Luka's going to do. But y'all in the NBA too, y'all can play.
"They're never going to win a championship right now the way they play because it's all Luka, all the time."
Barkley's scathing indictment sent out a rather clear message to the Mavs. Co-panelist Kenny Smith also added to Barkley's statement and said:
"His 29 is not the same 31 that Steph gets."
Chuck: “[The Mavs] are never going to win a championship the way they play right now because it’s all Luka, all the time.” https://t.co/dA9scidYe5
Barkley and Smith combined to raise a rather intriguing notion regarding Dallas' system at the moment. While the team has enjoyed a fair amount of success with it in place, the Mavericks haven't exactly felt like contenders.
Additionally, concerns regarding the team's slow offensive pace have also been raised by some analysts. Given that Doncic features an immensely high usage rate, Dallas may have to address some issues within their system.
Luka Doncic may cause Dallas to stagnate
Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Dallas Mavericks were painted as a potential title contender given their performances in the postseason.
After knocking out the heavily-favored Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semis, the Mavericks came up short in the WCF against the Golden State Warriors. However, the postseason saw Luka Doncic's rise as a superstar who could potentially lead the team to a successful postseason in the near future.
To support this endeavor, the Mavericks added Christian Wood among other players to reinforce their roster.
However, this also resulted in the loss of Jalen Brunson in free agency. While Doncic has had a truly unique individual season, the Mavericks have suffered a lot more with Brunson out of the rotation.
With Luka Doncic playing as the primary ball-handler, the Mavericks' offense has become rather stagnant. The concerns this raises for their future are quite valid in this regard. However, Dallas continues to make efforts to find a solution.
While Spencer Dinwiddie emerges as a solid backup ball handler, the Mavs have also made attempts to sign a free agent and former All-Star Kemba Walker.
Whether this will help take the burden of playmaking off of Doncic, however, remains up for debate.