MVP Luka is here and man is he special 

This might sound crazy, but that might have been the best performance of Luka’s career. He’s put up sexier totals and had more memorable moments, but from start to finish, on both ends, this was maybe his best showing.

34 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, a career-high 4 blocks, and 2 steals. It was reminiscent of a apex Lebron James performance in the way he just controlled the flow of the game.

Whether it be exploring the mid-range or his rapidly improving defense, one thing is clear: The best of Luka Doncic is still to come. And man is that exciting.

Kristaps Porzingis is this team’s X-factor 

Let’s be clear: Luka Doncic is this teams best player. Full stop.

But Kristaps Porzingis might be the most irreplaceable one (still not true, but humor me.)

This team has a cache of guards who can make an impact offensively on a given night. We’ve seen Brunson do it Chicago. Tim can outright win a game with his shotmaking and Burke has the profile of a microwave scorer. They can at least *replicate* some of Luka between those guys.

However, there isn’t another Maverick that can duplicate KP’s skillset. Even for just one night. His in-the-gym range, elite rim-protection, rebounding and overall versatility is sorely missed when he isn’t out there. And it took all of one quarter to reaffirm that fact.

Wasn’t his sexiest performance (16 points on 16 shots), but the way he impacts the game flashed early. As he works into proper shape, we should see this team become even more dangerous.

The Mavericks have something in their “Jumbo” lineup.

Rick Carlisle went to the the more traditional two-big lineup several games ago. The team was sputtering, off to a 2-4 start and staring down a difficult stretch of opponents.

What they found in inserting both Maxi & WCS, was a formula that can work, somewhat surprisingly so to me. And it’s doable with or without KP.

What really makes it work, is the mobility and defensive talent of both Maxi & Willie Cauley-Stein, who may have been undervalued by both the team and fan base coming into the year. It’s just a lot of size, length, and rim protection for opponents to have to deal with. And with Maxi/KP, you don’t sacrifice much shooting.

I still believe the Luka-THJ-Richardson-Dorian-KP group is the meal ticket. But adding this dynamic only makes them more versatile.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right? The Mavericks are 4-0 since making the change. No sense in fooling with it until the roster is healthy & whole again.