Luka Doncic has caught a stray from Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper, who recently decided to bench the Dallas Mavericks guard in a theoretical “Start, Bench, Cut” scenario involving Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving.
Cooper chose to start Lillard, bench Doncic, and cut Irving. Many were curious how he came to this conclusion, especially since Luka Doncic is fresh from leading the Dallas Mavericks to their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history last season.
“Luka (Doncic) gives you that triple-double almost about every night, but he’s too slow for me. If he wasn’t a scorer, I would cut him. I give him credit for that, but to me, he’s lazy. Doesn’t hustle back on defense,” Cooper said on the Showtime Podcast.
To Michael Cooper’s point, Luka Doncic is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league today. But for all his amazing traits on offense, it often gets nullified with his lackluster defense, as shown during the NBA Finals when the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Can the Dallas Mavericks make it back to the NBA Finals?
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most proactive teams this offseason, as they’ve added Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Quentin Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie to their roster after losing Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr.
With the addition of Klay Thompson, the Dallas Mavericks improved their floor spacing, which would come in handy if they go deep into the playoffs next season.
While the Dallas Mavericks are expected to make it back to the postseason, returning to the NBA Finals is going to be a daunting task for them since the Western Conference is so stacked.
