Mavs' Luka Doncic Receives Major Honor for FIBA World Cup Performance

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic was among the players to receive a major honor for outstanding play at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Despite injuries to Vlatko Cancar and Edo Muric, Slovenia still managed to achieve a seventh-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The production of Luka Doncic was an instrumental factor in the result as he averaged 27.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.5 steals. 

"It wasn't a good ending," Doncic said of Slovenia's play in the quarterfinals. "We were hoping for something more. We lost Cancar, who is one of the best basketball players in Europe. It would help us a lot. It can be seen that we also lack Edo Muric, especially his combativeness. We had a lot of problems with injuries, but we fought in every possible way."

Along with Dennis Schroder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Doncic was among the players named to the All-Star Five of the World Cup. The honor consists of no limit for player position, which ultimately resulted in five guards being named. 

It comes as no surprise that Doncic was honored for his play, especially when considering he led the World Cup in scoring and made history. He became the first player in the last 30 years to finish a single tournament totaling at least 300 points, 50 rebounds, and 40 assists. 

Luka Doncic is now the first player to record 200+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 40+ assists in a single FIBA World Cup tournament in the last 30 years.

Photo: FIBA pic.twitter.com/UXFNn4lcKX

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 9, 2023

Doncic played through a lingering thigh injury that he dealt with since March of the NBA season. It remains to be seen how long it will take for the injury to fully heal, but in a tournament with short games played often every other day — including one back-to-back in Manila — it was all the more impressive that Doncic managed to achieve what he did. 

"I do not know what to say," Doncic said. "It's not okay. At the same time, I have to prepare for one more game, and then for a whole season in the NBA."

In each of Slovenia's three losses at the World Cup, the team had given up 100 points. The team will need to find ways to solidify its defensive execution against teams with tough initiators, shooting threats, and a physical interior presence. Next chance to show growth will be in the Olympic qualifiers next summer, which Doncic intends to play barring major injury. 

"I play no matter what [for Slovenia], even in the Olympic qualifiers, if only I'm healthy," Doncic said.  

Doncic will have a few weeks before the Dallas Mavericks begin training camp on Sept. 27. The team will begin preparation sooner than most NBA teams since they will play three games abroad before the regular season, including two matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi and Real Madrid in Spain.