It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to find a player who had to deal with more of a circus on the Mavericks’ annual Media Day on Friday than rookie Luka Dončić.

The 19 year-old stands high and above everyone in the local media as a Mavericks staff member guides him from station to station to meet all of his “obligations” for the day.  Other players who’ve done this rodeo several times each give a few hellos and handshakes out to familiar faces they see while walking through the crowd.  Dončić isn’t doing as much but does offers a hello to those who welcome him to Dallas and even a “sup?” whenever I get a chance to ask him how it’s going as he set himself for photos at the Dallas Sports Fanatic station.

A common sentiment among all players lingering around the old underground practice facility at the American Airlines Center: it was cold.  Luka certainly agreed as he remarked to Dirk Nowitzki as they took a few photos together.  A staff member mentions he could get him a long-sleeve Mavs top to wear between his various stops and he quickly accepts the offer.  He mostly takes it off once he is about to take photos again, but not when he appears on NBA TV with reporter Allie Laforce.

The Luka hype is full blown, but this kid is as humble as it gets. Pumped to see how his court vision and size can help this team rebound from last year. Will be harsh reality living in the West, but he isn’t intimidated. @dallasmavs @NBATV pic.twitter.com/MDiIBVra91

— Allie LaForce (@ALaForce) September 21, 2018

The list of stops is seemingly never-ending for Dončić as he makes his way all around the American Airlines Center getting photos taken, recording videos with the Mavs digital team, doing interviews with Fox Sports Southwest and NBC 5 all before his eventual press conference in front of the media.  This type of media coverage isn’t foreign for the native-Slovenian since he was basically been the “Most Interesting Man in the World” when he was in New York for the draft, back in Dallas for his introductory press conference and then in Las Vegas during the Summer League.  Pair it along with years of hype and endless questions about whether or not his game would translate to the NBA, Luka is just ready to get going.

“I just want to stop talking and play,” Dončić says with a smile on his face. Media Day is the final stepping stone of the “offseason” as training camp begins on Saturday and preseason games start just one week later.  The rookie will have every chance to prove his doubters wrong on the court during actual games very soon.

It can’t be easy to have everyone so openly question your game or the validity of the hype surrounding your skills simply because you have played overseas and they’re not as familiar with it, but clearly Dončić knows that is part of his transition to the NBA.  He reportedly first started working out at the Mavericks facility within the last few weeks, but has already earned a lot of praise from teammates.  Dennis Smith Jr. praised his ability to get him the ball in the right spot.  Dorian Finney-Smith joked that he (Dončić) has eyes in the back of his head.  Harrison Barnes went on national TV and said Dončić has “flair” and can “run the team.”  Dirk Nowitzki has more or less said in various interviews that Luka has everything down better than he did when he was 19 years old.

Obviously he’s already made a great impression on his teammates, what does he think they think of him?

“I think you’d need to ask them because I can’t tell you,” Dončić humbly states as he passes on an opportunity to brag about his standout performances in workouts and pick-up games so far.  Luka isn’t quite as quick to pass on the opportunity to acknowledge the great teammates he has around him.

“They’re the two leaders we have on this team and it’s great to be their teammates,” Dončić says referring to Barnes and Nowitzki.  “They’re both NBA champions.”

The most notable reaction from Luka seems to come from mentioning the on-court chemistry possibilities between himself and new center DeAndre Jordan.

“Oh yeah, I like that,” Dončić remarks with a smile as he thinks of the pick-and-roll opportunities between himself and the veteran big man.  “I’d like to throw some lobs to him.”  He goes on to acknowledge the importance of the 2017 All-Star’s importance in other areas of the game.  “Not only that, he can be a leader.  He can help us on defense.  It’s really good to have him.”

In his media day press conference, coach Rick Carlisle referred to Dončić as relatively quiet.  Asking him questions and hearing him answer, I can’t really dispute that.  Luka seems to disagree, though.

“I’m not that quiet anymore.  I mean, I’m shy at the beginning but I talk to everybody.  It has been getting better.”  Nobody likes to be called out for being quiet.  Not even 19 year-old NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunners.

As the potential new face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise, there are billboards around town off major highways that have Luka Dončić on them and state: “WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.”  Whenever the incumbent franchise legend is just across the locker room, other teams may deal with some jealousy or tension between the old star and the new one.  Dončić is fortunate to have the most humble and self-aware NBA icon in Dirk Nowitzki as his teammate and helper in his first NBA season.  While Dončić still speaks softly and with a distinct accent, his English has already come a long way from draft night interviews where he might have needed to ask to repeat the what the interviewer said if it went too far off the beaten path of cliché questions.

Obviously his on-court performance will be the narrative that everyone pays attention to the most in his rookie year, but it will also be incredibly interesting to see how much Luka Dončić shows his personality off the court as he begins to get more comfortable in his new uniform, new league and even new country thousands of miles (and a 14 hour flight) away from his old one.