I just his third season, Mavericks star Luka Doncic is already being hailed as the NBA’s next great generational superstar. With comparisons to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and LeBron James, it’s clear he has made quite an impression on the NBA community.
And in an interview on First Take on Friday, Mavs owner Cuban joined in on the hype-train for Luka, pointing out some aspects of his game that separate him from LeBron James.
“LeBron and Luka are not really comparable. You know, LeBron came into the league as an athlete first and really improved his basketball IQ from there. Luka is basketball IQ, strength, angles, he doesn’t really try to outrun you. He’s completely different.”
Mark Cuban says LeBron and Luka "are not really comparable." pic.twitter.com/ymuDfAlZBR
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 25, 2020
LeBron, obviously, has a lot of basketball IQ, but his body and athleticism really help to push him over the edge.
The latter can’t be said for Doncic. His game is not predicated on athleticism, rather it’s on his ability to make plays and find unique ways to score the basketball.
Last season, the young star averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists on 46% shooting. Behind his leadership, Dallas was able to make the playoffs as the 7th seed in the West. We will see soon enough what he’s capable of doing this campaign.
