Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic wins SI’s Breakout of the Year

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was named Sports Illustrated’s Breakout of the Year for 2019 on Dec. 6. Find out more here.

The Dallas Mavericks are in prime position to have home court in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. 16 wins in their first 23 games is enough to have them sitting in third. The Mavs would not be here without Luka Doncic.

The 20-year-old came with the pedigree and professional experience, but nobody expected him to be playing at an MVP-level in his second NBA season. That is unheard of, but supporters should not be shocked. Doncic was the Most Valuable Player in the EuroLeague and Liga ACB in 2018. He is accustomed to being the best player on the top team.

Translating that to the NBA is not easy, but Luka has accomplished it. With his stellar comes plenty of honors. He received one on Monday.

SI’s Breakout of the Year

Sports Illustrated announced their Breakout Player of 2019, and Luka Doncic took home the award. Dallas Mavericks fans can read the article here.

The Mavs tweeted out congratulations which fans can see below.

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1204180491387252736

It should come as no surprise. Doncic transformed himself from third overall pick to Rookie of the Year or legit MVP candidate in the last 12 months. More impressively, he has taken the Mavericks from a team that has picked in the lottery three straight years into the thick of the playoff hunt.

Mavs supporters could gush all day about Luka. From the incredible playmaking to being a walking bucket, Doncic is certainly special. New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry may have nailed what makes Luka so unique. See his quote below courtesy of Brad Townsend.

Congrats to Luka Doncic on winning Sports Illustrated’s Breakout of the Year. He also took home NBA Player of the Month for October/November recently. The awards and honors are not going to stop. Doncic is playing too good and should be one of the NBA’s top players for the next decade-plus.

Looking for more Luka Doncic content? Check back daily to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks superstar plus analysis on the team that is unmatched.