‘I’ve been awful:’ Luka Doncic’s usage rate a growing concern for the Mavericks
WASHINGTON – Luka Doncic blamed himself for Friday’s loss to the Washington Wizards. The 23-year-old, three-time All-NBA guard blamed himself for the Dallas Mavericks’ loss to the Orlando Magic the night before.
Doncic put up points – 24 against the Magic, 22 against the Wizards but that special Luka Magic was not there: 9-for-29 from the field the first night, 8-for-21 from the field the next with a combined 5-for-19 on 3s.
“I’ve been awful for two games now,” Doncic said. “These two games are on me. … I’m more tired on the court these last two games. That’s not an excuse.”
Beyond a two-game sample size, there is a growing concern about Doncic’s minutes and usage rate.
He’s playing a career-high 36.9 minutes per game and has an NBA season-high usage rate of 39.14%, which would be the third-highest all-time behind Russell Westbrook’s 41.65% in 2016-17 and James Harden’s 40.47 in 2018-19, according to basketball-reference.com. Usage rate is the percentage offensive plays a player was involved in.
NEVER MISS A MOMENT: Follow our sports newsletter for daily updates
“The usage rate is so high,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.
How long is that sustainable?
“I would say here before Christmas,” Kidd said. “If we keep this going up, then he will not be human if he gets past Christmas. One or the other’s going to show he’s human or not. And we believe he’s human.