Luka Doncic slander is coming from all directions before season even begins

The Dallas Mavericks begin their season tonight as they'll be taking on the San Antonio Spurs. This is a new year for the team, as they look to make another run at the NBA Finals. Dallas is primed to improve with new players like Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Naji Marshall in the mix.

One reason for fans to be happy is the team's health. The Mavs are one of the few teams without major injury issues. For example, the Spurs won't have guard Devin Vassell tonight. Other teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers will be without their star players to start the season.

Lucky for Dallas, Luka Doncic is cleared to play Thursday. It is reported that the Mavs star is good to go for Thursday, after missing the preseason with a calf contusion. Doncic is entering his seventh season. He averaged a league-high 33.9 points per game last season, shooting 48.7 percent from the field. The Mavs' all-star also finished third in MVP voting.

Smith gives Doncic an extremely disrespectful ranking

Yet, despite Doncic's accomplishments, NBA analysts continue to disrespect the Dallas star. Last week, the Inside the NBA Crew each released their player ranking of the top 50 players heading into the season. Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley ranked Doncic in the top three, as they had Nikola Jokic on top. Kenny Smith however had a different order in his rankings when it comes to Doncic.

Smith ranked players based on six categories: scoring, rebounding, assists, leadership, defense, and pace of the game. It is without a doubt that Doncic checks off all or most of the categories.

Smith disagreed though, as he ranked Doncic at number six. Right above him was Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This comes as a surprise, as Antetokounmpo finished behind Doncic in MVP voting. Embiid on the other hand has struggled to stay healthy, as he is expected to miss the first three games of this season.

James is nearing 40 years old and is not the same player from 10 years ago. While he can still perform well, his numbers are nowhere near his MVP seasons.

It is no doubt though, Doncic is on the same level as Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged a near triple-double last season with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds. Doncic also scored 73 points last year, the fourth-best in league history.

Earlier this year, ESPN projected Doncic to win MVP this coming season. He received 48 percent of the first-place votes. Thisn't is the first time Doncic has been in the running, as he has been projected to win the award over the past couple of years.

So, in simple terms, Smith overlooked Doncic. He failed to observe the greatness of the Mavs star, as he is an all-around player who has been a huge part of the Mavs' success.

Kyrie Irving was the other Maverick to make the list, as he came in at 30th. It's very likely Smith got this one wrong too.

Either way, Dallas journey to silencing the doubters begins Thursday as they tipoff their NBA season.