Look away, Dallas Mavericks fans, because Luka Dončić is doing unbelievable things for the Los Angeles Lakers. Furthermore, the conversation about the Mavs’ logic of trading away the generational Dončić at 26 is not going away anytime soon, even after they luckily landed the first overall pick to select the consensus star of this year’s NBA draft, Cooper Flagg.
Dončić is putting up jaw-dropping numbers to start the year. In fact, he’s averaging more than the acquisition in the trade, Anthony Davis, plus Flagg, combined. A statistic that is sure to haunt Mavs fans.
Luka Dončić Single-Handedly Overshadows Mavericks Starters With Astronomical Numbers
Dončić already has three 40-point games, all the more unbelievable since he’s only played in four. His only non-40-point game was a triple-double.
His stat line is remarkable: 41.3 points per game, 11.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, shooting 54.5% from the field. Not only do those numbers dominate the league, but when specifically looking at the Mavericks, Flagg is struggling early, averaging 13.6 points on just 38.8% shooting. As is Klay Thompson, averaging 8 points per game on 31.8% shooting. Davis has started solidly, however, averaging 20.8 points.
Essentially, Dončić is outperforming three Mavericks starters on his own and averaging more points than Davis and Flagg combined.
Luka is averaging more points than Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis COMBINED this season 😳 pic.twitter.com/SGFAOEuCMb
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 5, 2025
Aside from the adverse effect the controversial trade had on the Dallas fanbase, including sparking mass protests aimed at GM Nico Harrison and ownership. The trade has a definite impact on the team on the court.
Dallas currently sits 14th in the Western Conference with a poor 2-5 record, winless within the conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers are just two games off the top spot in the West, and that’s without LeBron James, who is due to return from injury later this month.
One of the reasons given for the trade at the time was ownership concerns over Dončić’s conditioning. Well, he’s shut that down with his ferocious off-season conditioning regimen, arriving in ‘championship’ shape as recommended by coach JJ Redick.
Now, it is early, and we can’t make mass judgments just a few games into the new season. However, one can certainly query how the timelines have changed drastically since the deal. Dončić is 26, one of the top 5 superstars in the league, while Davis is 32 and not considered to be of that caliber at this stage in his career.
Davis, Thompson, and Kyrie Irving are future Hall-of-Fame players, but the trio is in their 30s, with the latter rehabbing a torn ACL, while Flagg is a rookie who needs time. Plus, the Mavs did not receive draft compensation in the Dončić for Davis swap.
Thus, for the deal to pay off, the pressure is on the Mavericks to contend as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Lakers have gotten younger and are much closer to title contention than the Mavs are. Worrying times for Mavericks fans, while the Lakers get to enjoy Dončić’s heroics on a nightly basis for the foreseeable future.
