A couple of months ago, a Mavericks’ opponent came through town and their chief personnel man was asked what the Mavericks need to make the leap back to respectability complete.
“A point guard,” was the answer.
That was no slap against Luka Doncic, obviously. The executive knew the second-year point guard was going to handle the ball a lot. Rather, what he meant was that the Mavericks were destined to lean too heavily on Doncic as a primary ballhandler during the regular season and, eventually, the wear and tear would take its toll.
Even at 20 years old, players get run down over the course of time.