Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban suggested the organization’s big concern about Luka Doncic was rooted in a misunderstanding.
In an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” Sunday, Cuban addressed the reported concerns the Mavericks had over Doncic’s health and conditioning. Cuban suggested that the Mavericks failed to understand the cultural differences that come with Doncic’s Balkan background, and that Doncic was not lacking in intensity during games.
“Everybody saw him. It wasn’t like he was ripped and had a six-pack,” Cuban said of Doncic. “The biggest mistake was in trying to understand Luka is he’s from the Balkans. He’s Slovenian. You look at (Nikola) Jokic, who’s Serbian, and you look at Serbian players in general, it’s just a different mindset. They look at the game differently. They look at life differently. The guys that I’ve gotten to know from that region of the world are different. I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been.
“(Doncic) is always really intense on the court. You see his response to the referees. You see his response to anybody. Joker might not be as purely emotional … (but) the guy is intense. But when the game is over and he goes back home, he’s more interested in harness racing. … They go back and they live their lives. It’s just different. You’ve got to accept those differences in players from that part of the world, and I think that was part of our mistake.”
The Mavericks had concerns about Doncic’s injury history and off-court habits, and felt that it would lead to “catastrophe” later on. Some of this may have been down to a perceived lackadaisical attitude toward the game and toward training. Cuban sees it differently, and points to Jokic’s relaxed off-court demeanor as proof that it is possible to succeed even while being very laid-back while away from the game.
Doncic does seem to hold himself to high standards. The Mavericks simply did not see his attitude like Cuban does. Time will tell which of them is correct in their assessment.
H/T CBS Sports
