Luka Doncic joined Elite Company on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
There is no slow start for Luka Doncic in 2022.
After back-to-back seasons of criticism and the confidence that he was sluggish and out of shape after the summer break, Doncic has started 2022-23 on a rift. Now he has joined a very short list alongside elite companies.
The Dallas Mavericks star had 33 points with 11 assists and five rebounds in a 103-100 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. It was his seventh performance in a row with over 30 points at the start of the season. He is the first player to achieve this feat since 1962-63. And he is only the third ever.
Jack Twyman did it in 1969-60. Wilt Chamberlain did it of course in the same year and again in 1962-63.
And now Luke. This is the list.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t do it. Michael Jordan didn’t do it. Karl Malone didn’t do it. Kobe Bryant didn’t do it. LeBron James didn’t do it.
Doncic opened the season as the MVP betting favorite and has so far responded with averages of 36.1 points, nine assists and 8.9 rebounds per game. He’s previously started with an MVP hype, only to see a slow start derail the campaign.
His Slovenian coach Anze Macek said in August that Doncic had been more focused on his off-season training program over the summer. Does it pay off on the pitch?