Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA playoffs last season as he averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game on the back of his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018-19.
Wednesday 2 December 2020 17:48, UK
Luka Doncic defied his self-admitted messy hair when addressing the media this week as he cut the figure of a man primed to pursue his ambitions of winning an NBA championship in 2020-21.
The Slovenian superstar was greeted by snow-balling MVP expectations on the back of last season after inspiring the Dallas Mavericks to their first playoff berth since 2016.
Having seen his postseason debut end in a 4-2 series defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year has reaffirmed possession of the Larry O'Brien Trophy as a clear priority over individual accolades.
"Every year, I want to be better. That's the goal," said Doncic. "You know, for me, like I always say, I want to win the championship. That's the goal we entered last year, that's the goal we're going to enter this year as a whole group.
"It was not great because we didn't win. But, you know, it was my first playoff experience against an amazing team - a team that was going to win a title. I learned a lot, not just me, I think the whole group learned a lot. We are just going to learn from that and hopefully we can use it again this year."
Doncic is currently favourite to clinch MVP heading into the new campaign after averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists last season, leading the league with 17 triple-doubles and earning his first All-Star spot.
He also opened his playoff account with 42 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on debut, before later levelling the series at 2-2 with 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists and a stunning game-winning buzzer-beater.
Dallas sought to support Doncic this offseason by trading for former Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson and former Minnesota Timberwolves forward James Johnson, as well as signing former Orlando Magic forward Wesley Iwundu.
Their rivals in the West also strengthened, although Doncic believes the coronavirus pandemic could yet have an impact on who comes out on top.
"During this pandemic, all this stuff is going to be different," he said. "Some players might get corona, get sick, not be able to be with the team for 10 days. I think that's going to be a big part, which team is not going to have positive people."
