The former Mavericks champion says Luka Doncic can’t become the greatest individual

Luka Doncic is making a historic start to his NBA career and finishing the season averaging almost 34 points per game. The discussion about whether he can become the greatest Dallas Maverick or not has already begun, sparked by his head coach Jason Kidd, who said that if he wins a championship, there is a path to it.

One of Kidd’s former teammates, who was also a member of the 2011 NBA championship team, advises calming down the talk.

JJ Barea, the X-factor of the 2011 Finals against the Heat, appeared on FanDuelTV’s “Run It Back” podcast and was asked if Doncic could surpass Dirk Nowitzki as the greatest Maverick of all time.

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“No… Dirk Nowitzki will forever be the All-Time Mav. No way,” Barea exclaimed. “Luka could have been the best player in the world forever and Dirk would still be there, the greatest Maverick of all time… He made Mavericks what it is.”

What Barea says is true. While the Mavericks had some success in the 1980s, they did quite well for most of the 1990s and it was Nowitzki who made the city of Dallas truly fall in love with the Mavs. He carried the Mavs on his back for much of the 2000s, even after Steve Nash left for the Phoenix Suns, won MVP in 2007 and ultimately forced his way to the championship in 2011. Things around him have changed, but Nowitzki was the only constant.

Doncic had an incredible start to his career, appearing in the Finals and again in the Western Conference Finals. The talent around him wasn’t always great, but he made five consecutive All-NBA first teams, more than Nowitzki combined in his career.

Barea had the opportunity to play with both Mavericks greats, playing in Dallas from 2007-2011 and then a short stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves before returning to Dallas in 2014 and would play there until his retirement in 2020. He was a great veteran player for Doncic and famously made the Slovenian laugh on the bench because he acted like he was going to call the match.

If Doncic were to become the ultimate Maverick, it would start with winning a championship, which will be difficult this year as the team looks to overcome a 2-0 deficit against the Boston Celtics.

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