Doncic believe with the help of his team the Mavericks will win the Larry O’Brien’s trophy…
Luka Doncic was unbelievable in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, helping the Mavericks get past the Jazz in the first round and upset the Suns in the second round before falling to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Ultimately, though, it wasn’t quite enough to get them over the hump.
Doncic did his part, but he needs more help. Jalen Brunson played well and could be brought back for a hefty price this summer. That might not be enough to compete with the highest tier of teams, though.
Who would be the ideal teammate for Doncic, putting aside how realistic the process of acquiring that target might be?
The perfect sidekick to Doncic should have some of the qualities that the Mavericks were missing in their series against the Warriors. One of their biggest downfalls was that they didn’t have great shot creation to give Doncic breathers. They also need a player who can defend well and spread the floor when Doncic is controlling the ball.
Former Mavs executive Haralabos Voulgaris weighed in with his opinion in an appearance on the “Basketball Illuminati” podcast in May. His choice for the perfect teammate?
“Jrue Holiday,” Voulgaris said. “Because he checks all the boxes. He is arguably the best wing defender. He certainly was a year or two ago. Now, some people say Mikal Bridges, and I guess some people say Marcus Smart, but whatever. He can hit a 3-point shot. He can drive. He’s just so good, and he’s durable in the sense that he can play a ton of minutes.
“People talk about the Celtics’ switching defense and their length. I mean, the Mavericks would have Luka, Jrue, Doe-Doe [Dorian Finney-Smith], Reggie Bullock, [Maxi] Kleber. Good f—ing luck scoring on that, and your smallest guy is however tall Jrue is. That’s the guy for me.”
Holiday showed his defensive value in the postseason for the Bucks. He came up huge with a steal and block on Smart in the closing moments of his team’s Game 5 win against the Celtics. Doncic was targeted at times throughout the NBA Playoffs, and Holiday would certainly help strengthen the defense around him.
