Breaking down Luka Doncic's dazzling triple-double against Greece

Luka Doncic looked like he was in an elite shape during his 2023 Slovenia debut

Fans shouldn't hit the panic button though, as Luka Doncic played stellar in his 2023 national team debut despite only finishing 5/13 on field goal attempts. Given it was only an exhibition game, coaching staffs on both sides weren't looking to expel too much energy to win the game.

Luka had plenty of junctures where he could've taken over the game by exerting tons of energy on hard drives to the basket but settled for step-back threes and post-up mid-range fallaways. This won't cause concern in a mere exhibition game though, and there will inevitably be times that Doncic has to settle for a less-than-ideal look this upcoming season with Dallas.

However, the goal will be to make those instances more few and far between as he's entering World Cup play and his 6th season in the NBA in potentially the best shape of his life.

Luka had plenty of flashy plays in the open court, such as a no-look bounce pass where he threaded the needle in transition from half court, to a tough and-1 using his footwork and strength off of a drive and pump-fake.

He used his speed and stamina to blow past defenders on drives and to push the ball in transition much more throughout the game compared to most Mavs games last year.

His strength didn't seem to have abandoned him despite the lost weight, and he used it along with an improved burst offensively, to wreak havoc on drives when he wanted to.

But he could've looked to pick and choose his spots better as a combination of the condensed European court as well as not playing in a game since April likely contributed to his offense looking clunky at times.

Doncic was great defensively though, and moved as well laterally as we've ever seen. His defensive activity and stamina across the board were on par with how good it was during the NBA's Covid-19 bubble.

Doncic had defensive possessions where he shaded his man off-ball well and disrupted passing lanes by forcing turnovers and getting deflections. He looked very spry on defense given his increased mobility that he looks to have gained from losing weight, but there were still the occasional gambles on errant attempts to jump a passing lane or by virtue of pulling the chair on a defender in the post.

He also had a few possessions where he looked lackadaisical or disinterested on defense throughout, but for all the critiques, he was easily a huge defensive plus in this one and only seldom made the aforementioned mistakes that were a lot more common with the Mavs this past season.

Doncic had a few moments where he flinched and grabbed at his ankle/calf area throughout the game. However, while he didn't appear seriously injured or hobbled, it will definitely be something to monitor going forward.

Doncic and Slovenia face off against Greece again in Athens on Friday, August 4.

Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is still unlikely to suit up, seeing how Doncic and Slovenia fare in these preparation games could be very telling as far as how he will play for the Mavericks next year, especially if the style of his game evolves with his body losing weight.