Luka Doncic on Second-Season Production: ‘I Didn’t Know I Was Gonna Play Like This’

The No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA draft entered the league with high expectations, but his jump in production has surprised many pundits, as well as himself.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic is already one of the best 20-year-old NBA players in the history of the league. 

Doncic entered the NBA with high expectations, but his jump in production from his first season to his second has surprised not only many pundits, but the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA draft himself.

Mavs star Luka Doncic is coming off a historic triple-double. His thoughts to NBA Insider @ShamsCharania on his early-career success.

“I knew I was going to be good, but not that good for sure. I didn’t expect that” pic.twitter.com/yxEolZqWUL

— Stadium (@Stadium) November 23, 2019

“I knew I was going to be good, but not that good for sure,” Doncic said in an interview with Stadium’s Shams Charania. “I didn’t know I was gonna play like this. I didn’t expect that.”

Heading into Dallas’ game Friday night against Detroit, Doncic is averaging 29.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game. 

Earlier this week, he became the second 20-year-old NBA player ever to record a 40-plus point triple-double. He followed that up by scoring more points in the first quarter of the team's game against Golden State than the Warriors themselves. 

The Mavericks have been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises thus far and Doncic has been instrumental in the team’s improvement.