The Mavs traded Kristaps Porzingis, and now Luka Doncic is on fire

• Luka Doncic has been on fire since the Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis.
• Doncic's role has expanded since, and he answered by leading the NBA in scoring in February.

Whether it's coincidental or not, Luka Doncic is thriving as the solo star in Dallas.

In six games since the February 10 deadline, when the Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, Doncic is averaging a league-leading 37 points per game on 45.6% shooting, 42% from downtown, to go with 11 rebounds and 7 assists per game.

It has been a notable uptick for Doncic, who was having a somewhat underwhelming season by his lofty standards. Though Doncic's per-game stats are close to his career averages, his shooting numbers have been down while he faced questions about his conditioning.

But Doncic has perked up since the Porzingis trade, which he called "shocking." How much it's related is unclear.

But on February 10, hours after the deadline, Doncic exploded for a career-high 51 points, including a 28-point first quarter, in a win over the LA Clippers.

He followed that up with another 45 points in a close loss to the Clippers the next game, then a 49-15-8 outing in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans before the All-Star break.

Doncic helped the Mavs erase a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Golden State Warriors in a thrilling comeback on Sunday. Doncic scored 34 points, bringing his February average to 34.7 points, the highest in the NBA and highest monthly average in Mavericks history.

By trading their second-best player in stature for relatively little in return, the Mavs officially made it Doncic's team and show to run. In the 40 games before the trade deadline, Doncic posted a usage rate of 35.4%. Since the Porzingis trade, Doncic has had a 44.3% usage rate. His shot attempts per game have risen from 21 per game to 26 post-trade.

Doncic and Porzingis' relationship was shaky, at times. Mavs owner Mark Cuban had compared them to co-workers who got along okay, but didn't hang out away from work.

Porzingis was reportedly frustrated with his role on the Mavs, feeling he had been reduced to an after-thought as Doncic became the focal points of the offense.

Their awkward pairing wasn't helped by their lack of time together on the court. Over the past two and a half seasons, Porzingis played just 134 regular season games, often fighting injuries. He and Doncic played a total of 63 regular season games together over the 2020-21 campaign and this current season.

The two stars simply didn't jell when they did share the court. Porzingis has never been much of a "roller" in the pick-and-roll. While Porzingis is deadly as a pick-and-pop partner, Doncic's preferred method is to drive to the rim and then pass, or set up a step-back three of his own.

Porzingis' lack of a post game also made it difficult to punish teams for switching screens for the two stars, a problem the Clippers highlighted in last year's first-round playoff series.

In Porzingis' absence, there are 20 points and 15 shot attempts per game to fill. Other Mavs will help out, but Doncic has so far looked happy — and comfortable — stepping up to the challenge.