Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic is picking up unnecessary technical fouls

The Dallas Mavericks are fighting to avoid the play-in tournament. They have to finish in the top six to advance directly to the playoffs. There figures to be plenty of jockeying between the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Mavs over the final two weeks of the regular season. Superstar Luka Doncic has piloted Dallas to six wins in their last eight, but fans are worried about him missing a game down the stretch.

Doncic picked up two technical fouls and was ejected in a loss to the Sacramento Kings on May 2. That put him at 15 technicals for the season. NBA players are automatically suspended for one game when they pick up their 16th technical foul during the regular season. Luka cannot get another one over the final eight games or he will have to sit.

The 22-year-old has received 16 technical fouls this season. He earned one on April 2nd against the Knicks, but it was later rescinded by the league office. Why is Luka picking up so many technicals, and what does he need to change to avoid a future suspension? Let us take a closer look.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is picking up unnecessary technical fouls

Save for his second technical foul on May 2, all of Luka’s T’s boil down to one of two scenarios. He gets upset after getting bumped while driving to the basket, but the referee does not call a foul, or Doncic goes off on the ref after receiving an offensive foul. Nine of his 15 technical fouls have come from arguing no calls. Four are off disagreeing with offensive fouls. Overall frustration caused one in the fourth quarter on March 24.

The 6’7 guard has no leg to stand on in getting them rescinded by the league office because the technical fouls are deemed unsportsmanlike.

The problem is none of Luka’s technicals are necessary or helping the Mavericks in any way. He is not getting T’d up to fire up his team. Doncic’s protests are not changing calls or getting him more in the future. Yes, he is justified to be upset in many of the cases. The 22-year-old superstar is getting hit and a foul could be called, but it is not. Luka needs to learn to flush it, run back up the court, and keep playing.

The Mavericks thought they had the problem under control. Doncic picked up four over seven games in early January before having just one over his next 21 contests. He has admitted he is wasting energy, and it is something he needs to control. The 22-year-old has failed to do over his last 26 games. His 11 technical fouls in that span are too many and have him on the verge of a suspension.

Luka Doncic needs to control his emotions and accept that he is not going to get every call. The Dallas Mavericks need every win they can get in the wild Western Conference. Having their superstar suspended is not a recipe for success. Hopefully, the 22-year-old gets it under control and keeps leading the Mavs up the mountain. Fans will not want to miss a moment, so stay tuned.