Today, Doncic gave a supernatural solo performance to tell everyone what the new version of the Lone Ranger will look like after the trading deadline. After struggling at the beginning of the season, Doncic has recently sprung up like a mushroom. And he and the Lone Ranger have also turned a new page.
In today's Lone Rangers' 112-105 victory over the Clippers, Doncic played 40 minutes and shot 17-of-26, including 7-of-14 from three-point range and 10-of-14 from the free throw line, and swept down 51 points, 9 rebounds and six assists. Doncic fired up in the first quarter of the game, scoring 28 points to set a new single-quarter scoring record for the season, and also hit 7 three-pointers. With 51 points, Doncic set a new NBA career single-game scoring record, ranking second in team history, and the first player in team history to score 50+ rebounds, 5 + assists and 5+ in a single game.
At the same time that Doncic was playing a supernatural performance, the Wizards updated the official push and welcomed Porzingis, while Cuban explained to the outside world in a slightly futile way why he sent Porzingis away, and praised the latter as a flower. If harden and Ben Simmons swaps were the most important deals at this year's trade deadline, then the lone ranger and Porzingis broke up the most unexpectedly.
After all, since the 2021 offseason of Porzingis hit a wall, the Lone Ranger seems to have dispelled that idea. There were two things that appealed to Dallas fans before the deadline, one was the team's rapid defensive advance in January, and the other was the contract extensions of Jaylen Brunson and Dorian Finney Smith.
But Porzingis is already a chicken rib in Dallas, and the relationship with Doncic is an indisputable fact, which can also be used to explain why the Lone Ranger has exchanged him for Dinwiddie and Bertans are not a good chip, but the industry still applauds the deal. On the day he left the team, Doncic played a career masterpiece. Fans quipped: Porzingis left and the Clippers came to the door, which is a "double thrill" for Doncic, and it is not surprising to play such a performance.
This is Doncic's 41st game of the season. In his first 41 games, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range. His assists and steals set career records, rebounds were second-highest in his career, and defensive efficiency was a new career high, but his scoring average and offensive efficiency per game were only third in his career. As a result, his offensive efficiency (110.3) and true shooting percentage (55.4%) this season are only ranked third.
Undoubtedly, Doncic's shooting efficiency this season is not very good. At the end of January this year, data expert Kirk Goldsberry posted the top 5 players with the highest and lowest shooting efficiency this season, and Doncic was divided into the "bad student group". He scored just 0.86 points per shot, and of the 300 total jump shots this season, he tied for 4th lowest in the league with Westbrook.
The distribution of shots can be seen. Since joining the NBA in the 2018 draft, Doncic's share of three-point shots has declined year by year, from 43.3% in the rookie season to 37.6% this season. But at the same time, Doncic's three-point shooting rate this season is also the worst of his career, or pull down his overall shooting rate.
In addition, this season's Doncic's "anti-magic ball" situation is obvious, and his proportion of shots in the three-second zone has also dropped to the lowest in his career, while the proportion of shots in the middle distance is the highest in his career. But in terms of shooting percentage, Doncic's long-range two-point shooting rate this season is only 32.1%, which is also the worst in his career. The loss of accuracy in mid- and long-range shooting is the main reason why Doncic's offensive efficiency this season is not high.
Another reason why Doncic's offensive efficiency this season is due to the poor performance at the beginning of the season. In October 2021, Doncic played in six games, averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from three-point range. Since then, Doncic's shooting percentage has picked up, but it fell again in January this year (in December and January, his three-point shooting rate fell below 30% again) and did not normalize until February (50% overall shooting and 42.2% three-point shooting). The same is true from high-order data. In October 2021, Doncic's offensive efficiency was 98.1, defensive efficiency was 110.6, and net efficiency was -12.5. So far this month, his three statistics are 124.3, 108.7 and +15.6.
The slow start of doncic season has become its chronic disease. In addition to injuries, the league's use of Will win new goals at the beginning of the season also had an impact on a cadre of scoring masters, including him. In addition, Doncic should review the body shape deviation. At the beginning of December 2021, it was revealed that Doncic had weighed more than 118 kg when he reported to the training camp for two consecutive seasons. Even Doncic himself admitted that after participating in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, "I have a bit of a break."
But as in previous years, Doncic's weight losses have been fruitful. Earlier this month, Doncic revealed that his weight dropped from over 260 pounds at one point to more than 240 pounds, close to what he weighed during the rookie season. Perkins also cautioned that Doncic has regained his form and other teams need to be careful.
In fact, the past half a year has been an eventful autumn for the Lone Ranger and Doncic. First, the lone ranger's senior personnel changes, Nelson Jr. and Carlisle, who have been on the team for many years, have been dismissed, and the new senior management and new coach have subsequently taken place. Today, Doncic has broken up with Porzingis, who has been his partner for many years. In the process of discussing Doncic's performance first and then rising, the adaptation to the new environment is also a reason that cannot be ignored.
Previously, the outside world had lamented the speed of the Lone Ranger's rebuild, quickly found the next cornerstone after Nowitzki, and quickly returned to the playoffs. However, the first round of the second consecutive season has also made the outside world quite critical. And now, the new lone ranger, the warming Doncic, is bound to be a little different in this year's playoffs. (Supine Braces/Hairy)