Luka Doncic blasted for 'unwatchable' problem Mavericks fans know all too well

Luka Doncic is in danger. He’s recently found himself in hot water over his incessant crying and complaining to referees on almost every other possession. Sadly, this is something Dallas Mavericks fans are too familiar with. They’ve seen this movie before, and they know how it ends.

NBA fans and critics are getting tired of Doncic’s constant arguing with game officials. Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers has put a magnifying glass on one of the NBA’s worst-kept secrets. Luka is a habitual complainer and foul-baiter of the highest order.

Doncic’s basketball wizardry is now being overshadowed by his elite penchant for whining. But his time might be running out. NBA writer Zach Lowe recently expressed his distaste for Doncic’s constant bickering with the refs and obsession with hunting for fouls.

Zach Lowe just said what everyone has been thinking about Luka Doncic

“The whining is back to peak Dallas levels,” Lowe said on “The Zach Lowe Show.” “It’s every (expletive) play. Just play, man. Not everything is a foul... Are you playing to draw a foul, or are you playing basketball? Which one are you doing? Are you playing one-on-one with the refs? Or are you playing a game? It’s every single possession now. It’s completely out of control. It's back to Dallas levels. It’s unwatchable.”

Lowe just said what many people have been scared to say publicly.

Doncic is widely considered a top-five player in the league and a perennial MVP candidate. But he’s reaching the point in his career where basketball experts and fans want to see him “put up or shut up.”

That means at some point, his basketball brilliance needs to translate into championships. He has to let his game do the talking. But lately, Dallas fans have seen their former franchise player revert to bad habits that always left them perplexed.

Doncic's 13 technical fouls this season are the second most in the league, putting him only behind NBA villain Dillon Brooks of the Phoenix Suns, who has 16. This is not a good omen, but unfortunately, it has become the norm for the Slovenian.

Dallas fans are left with the bitter taste of seeing Doncic spend much of the 2024 NBA Finals hobbled and crying to the referees for calls, instead of getting back on defense to help his teammates.

And here lies the crux of the problem. Doncic can win you a playoff series with his sheer offensive brilliance. He’s a big shot-maker and an elite passer who can control the tempo of a game like he’s conducting an orchestra. However, it's gotten to the point that he’s hunting for fouls more than playing within the natural flow of the game.

It not only puts the referees in a tough position but also makes for a choppy, disjointed basketball experience for the fans who pay their hard-earned money to see the best basketball players in the world put on a show.

As a leader of the team, he can have a negative trickle-down effect on his teammates as they try to emulate his bad behavior.

Now, under the bright lights of Los Angeles, Doncic’s tendency to lobby referees for foul calls whenever he feels a little contact is already starting to wear on Laker fans.

Los Angeles has a rich tradition of great players, and they want to see Doncic commit to playing hard on both ends of the floor rather than focus on the referees. But can he change his basketball DNA at this point in his career?

Doncic has a tough act to follow, and I’m not sure he’s up to the task of dealing with the scrutiny players like his teammate LeBron James have faced their entire careers. It’s a pressure cooker, and that’s why I still feel his temperament is better suited to playing for his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas fans will be keeping an eye on Doncic’s Lakers tenure because he has a player option for the 2028-29 season on his three-year, $165 million extension he signed with the Lakers in August 2025, allowing him to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2028.

It will be interesting to see if Doncic can withstand the media criticism and expectations that come with being on a big-market team like the Lakers.

Hopefully, he can conquer his basketball demons. But if not, it will be a storytime that Dallas fans know all too well.