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Mark Cuban admits Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has extra motivation

Tyler Watts
Tyler Watts

The Smoking Cuban

Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic, Mark Cuban / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks won six of their last seven games before the All-Star break as superstar Luka Doncic returned to his first-team All-NBA form. The 22-year-old was not at his peak to begin the season, but he has found it in recent weeks.

Over his last ten games, Luka averaged 35.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent on his threes. The Mavericks superstar has been unstoppable. Teams have thrown every defense imaginable at him, but Luka has scored 30-plus in eight of his last ten. Doncic set a new career-high with a 51-point game, and he nearly broke it again a week later.

Doncic has reached a new level with his recent play, and owner Mark Cuban was asked about it during a radio appearance on The Musers, which appears on 1310 AM The Ticket in Dallas. Here is a closer look at Cuban’s response and what to expect from Doncic down the stretch.

Mark Cuban admits Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has extra motivation

Cuban was asked about what has motivated Luka’s recent run during the interview, and the owner attributed it to a number factors. See his quote below.

"I think it is all the above. I think he was humbled a little bit. I think he didn’t like being called out for his weight and other things, and it finally clicked that there is a level of disciple required. "
"All athletes at his level go through it at some level. You know, where things are easy, and you’re always used to being the best, and you’re always used to getting all the accolades. Then when something doesn’t go according to what you had expected, it makes you reconsider."

Cuban went on to talk about Luka’s intelligence, and the 22-year-old realized that he needs to “control” certain things to be the best. Doncic told Dallas Morning News reported Callie Caplan that he changed his diet (subscription required) and did not come into the season in peak condition. He is committed now and the rest of the NBA is certainly on notice.

There is no slowing down Luka at this point. He is motivated to push the Dallas Mavericks into the top four in the Western Conference and lead them to their first playoff series win since taking home the title in 2011. Fans know Doncic takes his game to another level in the postseason. Expect that to happen again, and no team will be looking forward to facing Luka Doncic and the Mavs, so be sure to tune in and enjoy the unbelievable play.

Tyler Watts

Tyler Watts

Tyler is an NBA Lead Editor at FanSided. He has been covering the league since 2016. He regularly writes about all 30 NBA franchises and the WNBA. He has seen every game of Luka Doncic's NBA career, and his work has been featured on Bleacher Report and Fantasy Pros. In his spare time, he enjoys going for walks, heading to games, or watching movies with his wife.