Dallas Mavericks: Could Luka Doncic average a triple-double next year?

Luka Doncic is one of the most exciting players in the NBA and the chances of him getting even better next year are very high. Just how good can the Dallas Mavericks young guard be next season?

The rookie season of Luka Doncic is one that will be remembered for a very long time. The Dallas Mavericks traded away the 5th overall pick and their 2019 first round pick in order to move up just two spots to get Luka from the Atlanta Hawks. Needless to say, the Mavs saw something great in the young man from Slovenia.

It didn’t take long for the Mavs fans to recognize that the team had made a great move. Luka came in and quickly became the man for the Dallas Mavericks. He has been an incredibly strong scorer, an excellent passer and a great rebounder from his position on the court. He also has proven to be a decent defender and a great teammate.

This year was a very unique season for the Mavs and was very strange for any rookie really. Luka went from having a solid starting five early in the league to the Mavericks piecing together a lineup after the All-Star break. Despite everything going on around him and the Mavs losing a lot of games down the stretch, Luka thrived with whoever was on the court with him.

Luka also set a couple records along the way. For one, Doncic was the first teenager in NBA history to have multiple triple-doubles. He was also the first teenager to have a 30-point triple-double. By the end of the season, Luka had a total of 8 triple-doubles, the third most by a rookie in league history.

There have only been two players in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season. Oscar Robertson did it in the 1961-62 season and Russell Westbrook has done it for the past three seasons. A triple-double does not necessarily make a player a superstar, but it can certainly be a good indicator.

So what would it take for Luka Doncic to average a triple-double across an entire season? Let’s break it down by each individual stat.

Points

Although Luka does have pass first tendencies, the scoring is definitely the stat that will be staying in the double-digits. He averaged over 21 points per game in his rookie year, leading the way for all rookies this year and in the past 8 years. Luka’s scoring could take a small dip as he will likely have some more scorers around him this coming season, but that dip will not be 12 points fewer per game.

Assists

This season, Luka averaged 6.0 assists per game. That number seems lower than it should be and a lot of that can be attributed to less than stellar shooting around him this year. Although there were a lot of games that he probably shot more than he should have, the new addition of Kristaps Porzingis and potentially another shooter to the team will help him a lot. He is almost certainly a pass first guard.

Rebounds

Luka shared the court with DeAndre Jordan for a good portion of this season. Jordan is known as one of the best rebounders in the league and it is because he goes for all of them. When he left, there were about 12 rebounds a game to go around to the rest of the team. Luka went from averaging 6.9 rebounds before the trade to 9.7 rebounds after the trade. If Dallas doesn’t add a completely dominant rebounder to the team, we could see Luka grabbing a lot of boards this year.

I’m not saying it is going to happen or even that it is likely to happen, but the truth is that there is a real possibility that Luka Doncic could have a shot at a triple-double season this year. Regardless of whether or not he hits this accomplishment, it is safe to say that he is poised for another great year.