Dallas Mavericks: Do not underestimate the shooting ability of Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic can shoot the basketball. Expect him to prove he can knock down shots and surprise fans this season.

The Dallas Mavericks drafting Luka Doncic makes some fans uneasy. Doncic is looked at as the great unknown because he took an unconventional path to the NBA.

He is Slovenian and has four years of professional experience for Real Madrid at age 19. Doncic was not just a player on their team, though. He won two league MVP’s last season (EuroLeague and Liga ACB).

Doncic’s shooting ability

Draft experts often listed Doncic’s shooting ability as one of his weaknesses. Over 73 games last season, Doncic shot just 31.0 percent on 348 3-point attempts. For his career at Real Madrid, he hit 32.7 percent from downtown. That is not the whole story, though.

Doncic shot significantly better early in each of the last two seasons before tailing off considerably. If you take the first 30 games from each of his last two seasons and add them together, Doncic shot 36.8 percent on 247 attempts. Use that stat how you will, but it is a 60 game sample of solid 3-point production.

Related Story. A look back at Luka Doncic's 15 best games for Real Madrid

He still faces the adjustments to the further NBA line and the speed of the game, but Coach Carlisle does not seem at all worried about his shooting ability. Below is his quote from Sept. 22 courtesy of Dwain Price.

Carlisle on Luka's shooting: "He's a good shooter. He shot the ball extremely well in the pickup games. He was a great European player but the European stuff is in the past. We're going off of what we see day to day. From what I've seen the last 14 days he shoots the ball well."
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) September 22, 2018

The young man has a consistent form, a quick release, and a plethora of moves to create space to get his shot off. You can see his shot here courtesy of the Mavs official Twitter.

All three traits are fantastic signs of a successful shooter. In time, Luka Doncic is likely an above average NBA 3-point shooter. Be patient Dallas Mavericks fans because he is going to be a special player who can shoot the ball.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle believes in Luka Doncic’s shooting ability. That alone should boost your confidence a bit. He may struggle a bit early adjusting to the NBA, but expect him to find his footing quickly. Doncic is going to win the Rookie of the Year and create a league-wide buzz about his potential this season. Stay tuned.

5 reasons why Luka Doncic will win Rookie of the Year. Next

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