Mavericks' excellence without Luka Doncic reveals harsh truth about his struggles

Last night, the Dallas Mavericks narrowly escaped Oklahoma City with a 121-119 win. Despite the team holding on for dear life during the final minute and a half of the game, the Mavericks are now 5-1 in back-to-back series wins.

Against the Thunder, the Mavericks arguably had their best game of the season as the team got off to a hot start and held the lead throughout the majority of the game. In addition to the team's offense looking crisp, the Mavericks out-rebounded the Thunder 53-29, in large part to P.J. Washington's impressive 17 rebounds.

After returning on Saturday night from a knee sprain, Washington has become an important piece of getting the Mavericks season back on track. Without Washington, Dallas struggled to guard around the perimeter and was constantly out-rebounded without his presence down low.

Not only did the Mavericks prove they are one of the top dogs in the Western Conference, but last night's win came without a healthy Luka Doncic.

Mavericks thrive without Doncic, and it's clear that he must adapt

Since the start of the season, Doncic has been battling injury after injury. While most of them are minor, last night's game against the Thunder came on the second night of a back-to-back which meant a night off for the Slovenian star.

It wasn't a surprise to see Doncic take the night off, but many fans expected the Thunder to cakewalk over the Mavericks without Doncic in the lineup. Not only did the team thrive without their Slovenian superstar, but the team looked amazing on both ends of the floor.

Multiple players benefited from the Mavericks' elevated pace on the offensive end, including Jaden Hardy, who excelled in his coast-to-coast drives without Doncic slowing the team's pace.

It's unclear if the Mavericks' pace has slowed down due to Doncic, but it was clear to see that the team's shot selection looked better without Doncic hoisting three after three on low-percentage attempts. Doncic remains the franchise cornerstone and is one of the best players in the NBA, but it may be time for him to change some little things about his game.

On the defensive end of the floor, Doncic's absence led the team to have one of their most impressive performances of the season until the final minute and a half of the contest.

Against the Utah Jazz, Doncic's defensive lapses cost the Mavericks the game after allowing the go-ahead bucket with six seconds left in the game. While Doncic's defense has been up and down this season, it became clear the team benefited defensively with him off the floor against the Thunder. His constant complaining can also sometimes bring down the morale of the team, and he has to emphasize being better about keeping these conversations with the referees to a minimum.

By no means is Doncic the only problem to the Mavericks' slow start, but after the team's impressive showing against the Thunder, there could be some uncomfortable conversations to be had behind closed doors when it comes to how Doncic is playing right now. He is clearly injured, and he is having one of the slowest starts to a season in his career.

Witnessing the team benefit from Doncic's absence may not be a one-off scenario if the Slovenian continues to play this way throughout the early half of the season. It's still early, which means Doncic can turn his season around, but early signs are showing Doncic is nowhere close to himself.

It's unclear if Doncic will need to miss more time with a right knee contusion, but if the team continues to play well with Doncic sidelined, it may finally be time for Doncic to fully embrace the defensive-minded culture Jason Kidd has built in Dallas.

Doncic's knee is holding him back right now, and this is causing him to struggle on both ends of the floor. He isn't able to stick with ball handlers on the perimeter and he hasn't been able to move the same way on offense either when he is trying to create his own shot.

Dallas thrived even though Doncic was sidelined, and he has to buy into playing faster. The Mavs' offense looked excellent in this game against the Thunder, and Doncic being able to pick up the pace and play faster is important. We've seen him pick up the pace before, and him being healthy enough and willing to do that would be beneficial for Dallas.

His inability to play fast and consistently lock down defense is holding Dallas back right now, and regardless of whether that is due to his injury or not, he is going to have to adapt. The Mavs found a way to play fast with Doncic last season, and the same can be done this season if he buys in and gets healthy.