The former Dallas coach admitted he initially didn't know which position Luka Dončić would play, but quickly realized he had to heed his wish to be the playmaker.
Luka Dončić is today one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA and a multiple-time All-NBA First Team member, but his start with the Dallas Mavericks was marked by tactical uncertainty. Former head coach Rick Carlisle, appearing on The Draymond Green Show, revealed a previously unknown detail from Dončić's rookie season that completely changed the trajectory of his career.
Carlisle admitted that despite the impressive resume of the young Slovenian, who in 2018 won the EuroLeague with Real Madrid and swept all MVP awards, he wasn't sure which position he would use him at. "I wasn't entirely sure what position he would play. I thought he'd probably be a wing because he's almost 6'10", but you know, he kept saying he was a point guard," Carlisle recalled.
The turning point came very quickly. After Dončić's arrival, the Mavericks organized a scrimmage featuring seasoned veterans like DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and Harrison Barnes. Despite being the youngest on the court, Dončić immediately took control of the game, grabbing rebounds and creating opportunities for his teammates, forcing the coach to rethink his plans.
"After eight or ten games, we put him at point guard and moved Dennis Smith off the ball. Everything else is pretty much history," Carlisle said. The decision to heed Dončić's wish proved crucial. In the first eight games, while he wasn't yet the primary playmaker, Dallas managed only two wins, even though Dončić averaged 19.6 points per game. After switching to playmaker, his rookie season ended with averages of 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, earning him Rookie of the Year honors.
Before he even arrived in Dallas, Dončić's entry into the NBA was marked by a controversial decision by the Sacramento Kings. General manager Vlade Divac, with the second pick in the 2018 draft, passed on Dončić and selected Marvin Bagley III. That decision is now considered one of the biggest blunders in league history. Years later, Divac explained that the main reason was the Kings' then-guard De'Aaron Fox, as he didn't want a player at the same position.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Dončić with the third pick and immediately traded him to Dallas in exchange for Trae Young and a first-round pick. What followed was playoff dominance and leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2024. Ironically, despite everything Dončić achieved for the franchise, Dallas traded him away in February 2025 in a deal many experts describe as one of the most illogical in NBA history, orchestrated by then-general manager Nico Harrison.
Today, as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the 27-year-old Dončić already has six All-NBA First Team selections and multiple scoring titles, and it all began the moment Carlisle stopped trying to fit Luka into rigid positional molds and simply put the ball in his hands.
