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Luka Doncic is only in his fourth season with the Dallas Mavericks, but he’s already stamping his name in the record books. If he keeps up his current pace, it won’t be long before he owns almost every significant statistical record for the franchise.
Now, Doncic doesn’t care about these numbers at all. As he’s made very clear, all he’s interested in is winning basketball games. He’s won all he can in Europe, and is now focused on capturing an NBA championship. So the last thing on his mind are his numbers, and where they stand in the record books.
But we, the fans, can definitely focus on them, and think about what they mean for his place in Mavericks history. And yes, it’s a little early to do so. But that speaks to how special Doncic is. In just three seasons, he’s pushing his way up all-time franchise statistical lists, and that’s worth taking a look at.
3-pointers
Dirk Nowitzki is the career leader in 3-pointers made for the Mavericks with 1,982. Jason Terry is a distant second with 1,140. Doncic is currently ninth with 531. That’s in just three seasons. He hit 192 shots from behind the arc last year. If he hits around that number this season, he’ll move into at least sixth place all-time in Mavericks’ history. He’d pass Steve Nash, J.J. Barea, and Wesley Matthews along the way.
It’s possible he’ll even pass Derek Harper and move into fifth place all-time in 3-pointers. From there, it would only take Doncic one more season to pass Jason Kidd and Michael Finley, moving into third place. It’s quick rise through the record books, no doubt aided by the NBA’s newfound infatuation with 3-pointers, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Assists
Harper leads the Mavericks with 5,111 career assists. Doncic currently sits at 12th all-time with 1,534. He’s accumulated 500+ assists the last two seasons, so he’ll probably get close to that this year as well. This would push him past Devin Harris into 11th. It’s unlikely he’ll get past that next season, as Mark Aquirre sits at 10th with 2,163. Within the next couple years, however, he’ll likely vault into the top five, as several former Mavericks are bunched between 2,100 and 3,000 assists.
Points
Nowitzki leads the Mavericks in all-time scoring (duh). And Doncic has a long way to go to even crack the top five in scoring for Dallas. But he should make a huge dent in the scoring record books this season. He’s currently 15th in scoring with 5,115 career points. Doncic has averaged around 1,700 points per year since he entered the NBA. If he puts up similar numbers this season, he’ll vault to eighth all-time in scoring for the Mavericks.
He’ll pass legends like Kidd, Barea, Jim Jackson, Nash, Jay Vincent, Josh Howard, Sam Perkins, and Brad Davis. All in just FOUR SEASONS. From there it’s just a couple of seasons before Doncic moves into the top three in all-time points for Dallas. It’s incredible, and just an indicator of how he’ll dominate the franchise record books if he stays healthy.