Some fans may laugh at the Lone Rangers who have won a wave of three consecutive games, because the Lone Rangers face opponents against the Kings, Thunder and Nuggets, in fact, the Lone Rangers have also suffered major changes in the lineup recently, because the core of the team, Doncic, who has missed more than a dozen games, has finally returned.
In the Lone Rangers' last game against the Nuggets, Doncic suffered an ankle sprain and, just as he was recovering from his injury, he was awkwardly caught up in a safety deal. During this time, Doncic not only healed his ankle injuries, but also safely passed the safety agreement, and most importantly, he subtracted the "pork belly" from his face (there is news that Doncic was overly relaxed after the Olympics)!
Now it's fair to say that Doncic is the mainstay of the Lone Rangers! In the past two games, Doncic has averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 12.5 assists per game, plus 2.5 steals, and despite five turnovers per game, he has successfully raised the banner of the team's organizational end.
The three-game losing Mavericks are second only to the Nuggets and sixth in the West, and doncic is absolutely obligated to keep a playoff spot:
As we all know, during Doncic's absence, Brunson, who has always played the role of "shadow", has completed the task well, and Brunson's talent in tandem teams is naturally not comparable to Doncic's, but he can also average about 6 assists per game while controlling the average turnover of 2 or more. Now, Doncic is back in full blood, which can create excellent scoring opportunities for outside shooters such as Hardaway Jr., Smith, and others.
Doncic has missed more than a dozen games, and just after returning to the team, he has sent 25 assists, at least it can be said that the lone ranger's booster to the future is none other than Doncic.
At the beginning of the season, many people thought that Doncic would be the hot candidate for the MVP of the 21-22 season, but it was not expected, ankle injuries, violations of safety agreements followed, resulting in Doncic's shooting rate so far this season was only a pitiful 44.7% + 32.6% + 69.8%, in fact, his downturn did not stop there, the average number of turnovers per game will also increase compared to last season.
Of course, there is also good news for the Lone Rangers, and even Doncic, that is, their strong contenders in the playoffs, the Nuggets (fifth), the Lakers (seventh), and the Clippers (eighth), all have the main players absent due to injury, and even season reimbursement, as long as Doncic improves the shooting rate by one level, they can bring the team into the playoffs, and even have the hope of rushing to the fifth position in the West.
Obviously, the strength of the Lone Rangers today is still difficult to associate with the championship. In the season of the 10-11 championship, the team had not only the peak Nowitzki, but also the experienced Kidd, Terry, Chandler, Marion, Peja, and so on. Although the Lone Rangers are now helmed by Kidd, the depth of the team, whether it is a starter or a substitute, is far from enough.
Although Doncic has shown top leadership skills, it is undeniable that he is still a playoff "rookie". As we all know, Doncic's two playoff trips, although not happy, are amazing enough. In 13 games (including 40+ in 5 games), he averaged 33.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game, shooting nearly 50% from the field and shooting more than 38% from three-point range.
If the Lone Rangers want to make a breakthrough in this season (impacting the Western Conference Finals, or the championship), in addition to Doncic to find the shooting feel, more importantly, use Porzingis + Head to introduce another star player who is strong in combat, there are still 47 games at the end of the regular season this season, and the time to run in is still enough, depending on whether the owner of the library is willing to do so!