After going 8-2 in their last 10 games, the Dallas Mavericks have soared to the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and they're only a half-game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the second seed in the West. Dallas' recent success has come by virtue of their ability to withstand some adversity in the form of injuries and illnesses, as Dallas has had a variety of different role players step up beyond expectations throughout this recent stretch.
The Mavericks have been fortunate enough to accumulate some much-needed rest in between games after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup over a week ago, as the Mavericks' only game since then was a thrilling win against the Golden State Warriors this past Monday. This should help Dallas get closer to full strength here soon, though it was reported yesterday that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are day-to-day with a left heel contusion and right shoulder soreness respectively.
Irving and Doncic missing any sort of time at the same time would definitely test the will of this Mavericks roster despite how well role players have played recently, though it seems like that scenario is unlikely. This is in part due to how effective Doncic has been on both ends of the floor throughout the month of December, as the Slovenian superstar is averaging 30.8 points, 9.3 assists, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.3 steals per game on 52.1/42.6/73.3 shootings splits for the month.
Doncic has stepped up on the defensive end after tons of criticism earlier in the season, and he's back to playing at an MVP-caliber level on the other end of the floor as well given his efficiency and increased pace. While Doncic still may have quite a ways to go to be a true contender in the MVP conversation, he recently caught some completely unsolicited heat from former Maverick Quinn Cook.
Quinn Cook got bashed for comparing Luka Doncic to Jayson Tatum
Cook posted on X that he thought Doncic shouldn't be compared to Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum because Doncic "quit on his team" in Dallas' NBA Cup loss to the Thunder last week, and he also said that the gap between Doncic and Tatum is "not close." While Doncic had a rough shooting game in that contest, Cook's criticism wasn't really warranted in the first place, as Doncic still had a stout defensive effort in that game with four steals and was getting flooded with double teams by OKC's swarming wing defense.
Furthermore, Cook saying Doncic isn't as close to as good of a player as Tatum is laughable. Tatum is having one of his best seasons in the NBA, averaging a career-high in rebounds and assists through 24 games, and he's clearly one of the frontrunners for MVP given Boston's success this season. With that being said though, Doncic has a much more complete body of work since he's been in the NBA, and he's a far more dynamic playmaker than Tatum.
When Doncic plays at an elite level defensively as he has recently, there's no true argument to be made that could solidify Tatum as a better player over Doncic at that point. However, even if we give Tatum the benefit of the doubt and take into consideration some of Doncic's subpar defensive performances this season, saying that Tatum is well ahead of Doncic from a comparison standpoint is a ludicrous statement by Cook. Cook ended up getting roasted so much in the mentions that he decided to delete the post, and for good reason.
Doncic's full body of work is miles ahead of Tatum's even though Tatum has already captured the illustrious title that Doncic and the Mavericks are still seeking, but it's extremely obvious that Doncic is a better all-around player and has been for quite some time, regardless if Tatum has seen more team success because of how well constructed the Celtics roster is.
