Why the Dallas Mavericks are going to succeed without Luka Doncic

On February 2nd, Luka Doncic was officially traded to the LA Lakers. This was a shock to many considering how much he gives to the Mavericks and what he brings to the court. Many were confused on why this trade had happened and what the future for the Mavericks looks like without their star player.

The first game without Doncic was against Cleveland and Dallas ended up losing 101-144. It might look like a rough start without Doncic, but Cleveland is a top team this year not dropping below number 4 in the Eastern Conference. They had previously played Cleveland back on January 3rd, losing 122-134. Either way that was going to be a tough game for them with or without Doncic. The next game was against the 76ers only losing by 2 points. (116-118) Then showing some potential winning against the Boston Celtics, who also have a very strong team this season. (127-120)

The Mavericks might have lost one of their best players, but they are able to hold their own without him. That doesn’t go without saying that this won’t hurt them in the future, however, most teams crumble or at least struggle to find their way when they lose such a valuable player. You can take Cleveland as example, when LeBron left it took them multiple seasons to rebuild a team without him. The difference is that the Mavericks already have a solid foundation, Luka Doncic was the cornerstone of the team, they built the team around his skill and talent rather than relying on it to win.