Luka Doncic has firmly established himself as the young star with the brightest future in the NBA. Doncic is already averaging over 30 points a game in his young playoff career and is helping the Dallas Mavericks overachieve with their roster every season. He’s coming off a Western Conference Finals run and is expected to build on that success and become a league MVP this season.
Richard Jefferson is a former NBA player and one of the most recognizable NBA pundits right now. He and LeBron James were teammates on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers squad that won a title, with LBJ and Jefferson being good friends considering they started their careers in the early-2000s. Jefferson believes the next LeBron is already in the league and playing in the form of Luka Doncic.
“Luka is as special as ‘Bron is. Luka is that type of special. LeBron James is going to go down as one or two, depending on what your opinion is on the greatest basketball player. Luka is that special. The way he plays the game, what he’s able to do. The dominance that he’s had at an early age, like the game is a joke for him. He’s playing a different game. Does he have the physical gifts to play as long as LeBron? That’s yet to be seen, but currently does he have the same type of ‘they’re playing a different kind of basketball game than everyone else’? Yes, like Luka is that guy.”
Is Luka Doncic Comparable To LeBron James?
Luka Doncic isn’t a 6’9″ athletic beast that can impose his will on the game with freakish athleticism. However, he is a tall and strong guard who is a mismatch for almost everyone in the league. His ability to slow the game down and dominate is uncanny. He uses his elite skill the same way LeBron used his physicality at the same age.
The pair have comparable counting stats so far in their career, with Doncic averaging 26.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists through his first 4 seasons in the league. Meanwhile, James averaged 26.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in his first four years as a Cleveland Cavalier.
James has been on Luka’s side for years now, with reporters even saying that LeBron may switch teams to play alongside Luka. Doncic is in the position to grow his game into being one of the best the game has ever seen, and a comparison to LeBron James projects for that kind of ceiling anyway.
