Dallas Mavericks: 5 unsolicited suggestions for coach Rick Carlisle

Suggestion for Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle: 5. More post touches for Luka

Luka Doncic does nearly everything on the offensive end of the floor at an elite level. He can finish at the rim, create plays for others that most players wouldn’t even dream of, and shoot from every spot on the court.

There’s no doubt that the more Luka has the ball in his hands, the better off the Dallas Mavericks are on offense.

One of the more underappreciated parts of Doncic’s game is his footwork. Watching Luka work in the post sends fans through a time-machine, giving them flashbacks of Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, and Hakeem Olajuwon masterfully pivoting their way into an easy bucket.

Luka has increasingly spent more time at point guard. That puts the opposing defense at a disadvantage. Whenever Luka has his back to the basket with only a smaller guard between him and the cup, it’s an automatic bucket.

Even though Luka possesses the post-moves of a young McHale, he only averaged 1.2 post touches per game last season, according to NBA Stats. This season, he’s not seeing many more back-to-the-basket looks at 1.7. That number feels extremely low considering it’s barely more than Dario Saric’s 1.6 post ups per contest.

What makes this infuriating is how often the Mavericks offense seems to stall. When the high pick-and-roll isn’t working and the 3-pointers aren’t falling, the team’s offense looks lost.

The answer is clear. Doncic is averaging a point for every post touch he receives. That’s good for top-5 in the league among players with more than one post touch per game. That puts him ahead of LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and teammate Kristaps Porzingis.

With Doncic’s blend of footwork and playmaking, posting him up should be a go-to play whenever the Mavs need a bucket. With Luka backing down a smaller guard, the defense can either pray that he misses or send help and hope the open shooter he finds does. Hopefully, Rick Carlisle can install a lot more post opportunities for his oversized point guard.

Next: No. 4