Few have seen Luka Doncic’s brilliance in private like Michael Finley, vice president of basketball operations and assistant general
manager of the Dallas Mavericks.
That excellence transcends what basketball fans witness from game to game on the court. On 105.3 The Fan, Finley related a story
about how, one practice, Grant Williams, a former Mavs forward who is currently a member of the Charlotte Hornets, wasn’t
impressed with Doncic’s play and continued to encourage him during a scrimmage.
Doncic eventually showed that he was more than prepared to practice after Williams persistently badgered him. Finley consequently
saw firsthand what occurs when the Slovenian player is pushed over his breaking point—even during practice.
Finley stated, “[Grant Williams] made the decision he wanted to get close to Luka.” “In his opinion, Luka wasn’t prepared to train that
day. To cut a long story short, he was trash talking Luka all over the court when they were scrimmaging. When Luka finally responds
“OK,” I can assure you that he went on an independent 26-6 run. Anybody can ask; I’m not making this up. It was similar to his doing
a 26–6 run. He displayed everything. Everything by himself, the floaters, the post-up, the 3’s.”
During his nine seasons in Dallas, Finley averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.8 rebounds a game while playing for the Mavs,
where he spent the most of his NBA career. He performed for
Finley became a front office member of the Mavs following his playing career. Before gaining the position of assistant general manager
in 2021, he served as their vice president of basketball operations for seven seasons.
Finley said that Doncic’s scoring binge during practice was witnessed by guests, and that everyone felt the same way about his
performance.
“Everybody on the sideline, including the coaches, was like ‘Do not poke the bear,'” Finley recalled. “Avoid poking the bear. At that
moment, we had visitors in the gym who were oohing and aahing from the sidelines. It was astounding. The child was unable to miss,
and these are not simple shots. Within this five to six-minute period, he was showcasing the entire repertory.”
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