THE WONDER BOY

The rise of a basketball prodigy.

Dončić, the high-scoring Dallas Mavericks guard, has been performing under abundant scrutiny for half his life. He was 13 when he left home in Slovenia to play in Spain, and within five years, he was “the most accomplished European teen prospect ever,” writes MacMahon. The ESPN reporter capably captures Dončić’s precocious self-assurance. As an older player put it, Dončić “doesn’t feel pressure” when it’s time to take a big shot. Beginning his NBA career in 2018, when he was 19, Dončić delighted in taking 30-foot jumpers in “defiance” of his new coaches—“a source of great comedy” to his teammates. MacMahon focuses on the Mavericks’ efforts to acquire players to complement Dončić’s talents, lest he sign with another team when he becomes a free agent or demand a trade while still under contract. Such is “the reality of the modern-day NBA” in the “player-empowerment era,” MacMahon writes. Frequently awestruck by Dončić’s talents, MacMahon notes that he’s earned a reputation for failing to stay in shape and constantly whining about referees’ calls. As the narrative draws closer to the present, alas, MacMahon’s workmanlike accounts of relatively recent games—these rely heavily on stats and trivial accomplishments, like Dončić notching “the fourth ever 50-point performance” on Christmas—offer little that’ll be new to fans. And beyond some anecdotes about the birth of Dončić’s first child and his love of junk food and video games, readers won’t learn much about him away from the hardwood. MacMahon notes that Dončić, in his travels, has learned four languages, but the author is less interested in the intellectual agility that this implies than he is in recycling stale pre- and postgame bromides about the player’s desire to win.

A competent look at a hoop star loses steam in crunch time.