Everyone remembers Luka Doncic's clutch heroics from his Dallas Mavericks career. The Wonder Boy always seemed to deliver magic at the end of games, whether it was the playoffs or the regular season.
These days, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't seeing that version of Luka nearly enough. But whose fault is that? Doncic infamously passed up a decent (though deep) look from 3 in the waning seconds of Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.
However, a closer look at LA's clutch-time shot diet this season reveals that Luka simply hasn't been their go-to guy with time winding down.
Luka Doncic isn't shooting in the clutch for Lakers this season
ESPN's Chiney Ogwumike pointed out an absurd stat on Wednesday: Doncic hasn't attempted a go-ahead or game-tying field goal in the last 90 seconds of regulation or overtime this season!
Here are the rest of the Lakers who have (with their success on those shots): LeBron James (2-for-5), Austin Reaves (2-for-2), Rui Hachimura (1-for-2), Jake LaRavia (1-for-1).
Ogwumike did point out that the Lakers were 13-0 to start the year in clutch time, indicating that a non-Doncic approach to late-game shots didn't harm LA initially.
Maybe these numbers aren't as surprising as they seem at first. After all, Luka starts these possessions with the ball in his hands and is often doubled, forcing him into a pass to an open teammate, which is the correct basketball play.
Tuesday night was an exception, as Luka was wide open for a moment before passing to LeBron, who was not.
This mental glitch from Luka was a rare one, indeed, but it also may have been a result of Luka's habit this season of being forced into a pass with the game on the line. With this final play against Orlando, it really felt like Luka was shocked at how open he actually was, which caused him to freeze for a moment and botch the possession.
"When you start 13-0 in clutch time, maybe the mindset is, 'I can get other people going, and they can knock down that shot,'" Ogwumike said of Doncic while analyzing his mental state.
This is a spot-on explanation for what contributed to the Orlando freeze-up.
And perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that this play happened, because it's time for Luka to start getting selfish again in clutch time. The playoffs are around the corner.
Doncic is the NBA's leading scorer at 32.5 points per game for a reason. He's a scoring machine, and he needs to start asserting his will in late-game situations again. Â
If the Lakers are going to go down in the playoffs, they better do so with Luka operating as an alpha, not deferring or hesitating in ways that will drive fans crazy.