Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle talks about Luka Doncic's free-throw troubles

Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic is making waves this year. Leading the Mavericks to fifth place in the Western Conference, their best performance in recent years, his 29.1 point-per-game average is telling NBA fans that the young Slovenian is another Dirk Nowitzki in the making. Unfortunately, there's a chip on his armour, he is a terrible free-throw shooter.

Currently averaging 74% on the stripe and sinking only 29 of 51 in the last six games (56%), people are starting to notice something. In their last game, a 112-107 loss to the Utah Jazz, Doncic shot only 1 of 5 on the line.

According to ClutchPoints, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle believes it is a mental issue and can easily be resolved."He'll be fine, he'll be fine. We'll work through it," he said.

Shooting 76-77% in his two seasons in the NBA, a short slump can be resolved through coaching. Doncic will only turn 21 next month and is already an All-Star game starter this season. There may be immense pressure on the young player, and it's manifesting in his free-throw shots.

Europeans sometimes take time to adjust to the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks player who led them to their first and only NBA Championship, didn't start a superstar. The 7'0" German was only grabbing 6.5 rebounds a game when he became a Dallas starter. Mavericks coach at the time, Don Nelson, believed it was also a mental issue with Nowitzki being 7'0 tall and having a long reach. He was able to raise it as high as 10, and 9.0 by the time Nowitzki won his MVP in 2006.

The young Slovenian's case is the same. A respectable shooter firing 46.6% on the field, Doncic is more than just a diamond in the rough, He already shines, he just needs a bit of polishing. Already one of the youngest players to start in an All-Star Game, we can expect big things from him.

If it doesn't work out and Doncic becomes a terrible free-throw shooter for the rest of his career, then we are bound to see a "Hack-a-Luka" tactic in his future, an irony for Dallas.