Luka Dončić Must Change Beyond His Talent, and Kyrie Irving Finds Lessons in Defeat



Yesterday, as the Boston Celtics players lifted the championship trophy at TD Garden, Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks officially closed out their season.

More precisely, it ended with 2:37 left in Game 5, when the Mavs were down by 21 points, and coach Jason Kidd pulled all his starters. Kyrie Irving returned to the bench, where he hugged and spoke briefly with Dončić. “We said, ‘They won their 18th championship. Next year, we’re going to fight together, and we’ve got to believe in ourselves,'” Dončić recalled.

Putting those words into action won’t be easy! The offseason doesn’t mean rest for Dončić; there’s still much for him to decide and execute. Approximately five minutes after the final buzzer of Game 5, a visibly limping Dončić entered the media center, his knees bloodied, his gait betraying his exhaustion. Outside, the sounds of celebration from the Celtics locker room and elsewhere filtered into the press room – noises not meant for him. They’d lost the decisive game 106-88 and the series 1-4.

Answering questions, he kept his responses concise. “Nothing,” Dončić said when asked to describe his feelings about the game. “It’s tough losing. I’ve got a lot to learn. It’s my first time in the NBA Finals, so I’m going to learn from it, for sure.” The 2023-24 season was the longest and most illustrious of Dončić’s career so far. He made his first Finals appearance, won the scoring title, scored 73 points in a game, and finished third in MVP voting. He also became a father, team leader, and a superstar teammate.

Dončić also became the first player in NBA history to lead the playoffs in points (635), rebounds (208), assists (178), and steals (41). Before he led the Mavs to the 2022 Western Conference Finals, the team had endured a drought of over a decade, making the playoffs six times without winning a single series. It took them 13 years to return to the Finals. So, the rebuild was a success.

“I feel great,” Dončić said when asked about the Mavs’ present and future after their elimination in Game 5. “We made some great moves. I think we’ve been together for like five months. I’m proud of everybody that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, everybody behind the scenes. We just didn’t win the Finals.” But now, choices loom. One immediate decision is whether he’ll join the Slovenian national team in the coming months to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. “I’ve got to make some decisions,” Dončić said. “But I want to get a little bit healthier, too.”

Dončić battled injuries and pain in the season’s final months, spraining his right knee in the first round of the playoffs and suffering a chest contusion in the Finals opener, requiring pre-game injections for the remainder of the series. Statistically, it seemed to have little impact, but he knew he wasn’t himself. “It doesn’t matter if I’m hurt or how hurt I am; I’m still trying to play, but I’m just not good enough,” he said.

There are even more significant decisions awaiting Dončić. Unlike the straightforward choice to join or opt-out of a national team he’s always represented, these involve how a superstar transforms to reach his goal. Looking back at the Finals, the Mavs squandered opportunities, or rather, failed to capitalize on opponents’ misfortunes. Kristaps Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4 in Dallas due to injury, games that could have swung the series. Instead, Dončić’s ejection in the fourth quarter of Game 3, fueled by frustration, derailed their chances.

This is the result of habits that have plagued him for years. When unable to be his best self, his performance on the court wavers due to emotional outbursts towards officials and teammates. His injuries exacerbated this during the playoffs. In Game 5, it was evident from the start that, after 92 games this season, he had nothing left. It’s a crucial lesson, one that Dončić must address as expectations around him grow. “He’s one of the best players in the world,” Coach Kidd said. “There’s going to be bumps in the road. For him, at 25, getting to the Finals, playing at this level, it’s just consistency now. Because when you have the best player in the world, you should always be in the hunt for a championship.”

Dončić understands that failure presents learning opportunities. After a disappointing Game 3, he responded in Game 4, channeling his frustration into the game, leading the Mavs to victory. This is the cycle he wants to break, a pattern he’s tried to alter with costly lessons. “It starts in the summer, it starts in training camp,” Kyrie Irving said when asked about growing from defeat. “I think, overall, that’s what Luka has done, and I’ve always said, failure gives you infinite inspiration.”

Whether Dončić begins that process depends not on what’s lacking in his basketball talent but on how much higher he can elevate it.

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