Luka Doncic of the Mavericks Addresses Minutes Concerns: “I Can Play 48”
In terms of minutes played per game, Luka Doncic leads the Dallas Mavericks and is second in the NBA.
It’s your duty as a fan of the Dallas Mavericks to make sure superstar Luka Doncic stays healthy and at his peak during the season’s final stretch leading up to the postseason.
With an average of 37.4 minutes played per game through 47 games this season, Doncic is second in the league. The Chicago Bulls’ DeRozan, who averages 37.7 minutes played per game, is the only player behind the Slovenian guard. Doncic is playing the most minutes per game of his career—37.4—and has upped that total by over a minute every season during his six NBA seasons.
Doncic is more than eager to play the full game if necessary, despite the fact that his minutes have raised concerns.
Doncic stated, “I’m fine, 48 [minutes] if you need it,” on NBA Radio on SiriusXM. “I enjoy taking basketball games. I am able to play 48 or 43. Not any less than that.
Averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds per game this season, the five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA guard has made the most of his minutes and, with the Mavs’ recent success, has slipped into the MVP debate. Only twice in Dallas’ current six-game winning streak has Doncic played more than 40 minutes.
He has played more than forty minutes fourteen times this season.
If Mavs guard Kyrie Irving can continue to play how he has since his return from a sprained thumb and the rest of the supporting cast contributes to produce at the level we’ve seen since the trade deadline, that could give Doncic the occasional breathers he needs to be ready for pivotal games down the stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.
Doncic might get the sporadic rests he needs to be prepared for crucial games toward the end of the regular season and the playoffs if Mavs guard Kyrie Irving keeps playing the way he has since returning from a sprained thumb and the rest of the supporting cast continues to produce at the caliber we’ve seen since the trade deadline.
