The NBA has seen European players dominate quite a bit in recent seasons, winning MVPs and earning All-NBA First Team honors regularly.
But the likes of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic haven’t made it to the NBA Finals yet, let alone won a championship, And Draymond Green has suggested that this is a trend of European stars not getting as much criticism as American ones.
.@Money23Green and Gilbert Arenas speak on European players not being held to the same standard as US players pic.twitter.com/Vav5uIUzg1
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 2, 2023
“I saw a list today that Stephen A. put out,” Green said. “It was like players under the most pressure to win a championship. I think James Harden was one, Jayson Tatum was 2. CP was 3, Joker was 4, and Luka wasn’t even on the list. I feel like, over the years, European players has not caught the same flak for not winning a championship as US players have and I don’t understand that.”
There is a lot of context as to why Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic haven’t been criticized widely for not winning a title just yet, but Gilbert Arenas pointed out a different perspective:
“It’s a knock. So when you have a Luka, when you have a Jokic, yeah they’re good. European players are coming here and dominating, but do we hold them to the same standard?”
That is a wild way to look at it, and Green immediately pointed it out, complimenting the European stars in the process, saying, “These guys are Top 10 players in our league. I didn’t even think about it from the perspective of you saying it’s a knock.
“What I will say is, whoever is knocking them, at some point you gotta stop. Like, these guys are as good as anyone in the league, if not better. If the thing is, ‘Oh, it’s a knock and we don’t hold them to that same standard,’ that gotta go.”
Draymond Green is right about one thing, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic are both premier players in the league. However, Jokic does get clowned for not winning yet, he’s recently been called a stat-padder, and Doncic is just 24 years old. So this is something of a weird take.
Why Don’t Nikola Jokic And Luka Doncic Get More Flak For Not Winning A Championship?
Of the players Green mentioned, Nikola Jokic hasn’t had a healthy team around him for 2 seasons before this one. Until the Dallas Mavericks got Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic very evidently did not have enough help and still carried his team deep into the playoffs. It’s easy to see why there’s no flak yet, although Jokic will get crucified in the media if the Nuggets fail this season. And considering his goal, he’ll be his own biggest critic.
As for the American superstars, James Harden and Chris Paul have both had long careers with plenty of opportunities to win it all. Their pressure comes from still playing next to other Top 10 NBA players and not being able to win a ring. Jayson Tatum shouldn’t be on these lists, but his poor Finals performance last season ends up counting against him. This is a nuanced conversation, but there are logical reasons why some stars don’t get as much criticism as others.
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