22-year-old Luka Doncic is already one of the NBA’s best young players. In just his fourth season, he is set to make his third-straight All-Star appearance as one of the game’s leading scorers.
A great scorer and passer, Doncic was recently compared to another great player by Sixers coach Doc Rivers. Here’s what he said after watching Luka drop 33 on Friday:
“I thought he took over the end of the second,” said Rivers after the game. “I thought that’s where during games you fall on something that works. They fell on a set, and they stayed with it. They executed the hell out of it.”
“He’s so big. I do like blitzing him at times, but I don’t like blitzing him. He’s very similar to LeBron (James),” Rivers continued. He’s such a great passer, and he just holds the ball at the last minute. He was toying with some of the blitzes. So he’s not a guy that I actually loved blitzing, but I do think it’s good at times.”
With season averages of 26.2 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.9 rebounds per game he makes his presence felt in a multitude of ways on the court. He is also showing himself to be a capable leader.
“If [Luka’s] not the best player in the world, he’s right on the cusp,” said former Mavs coach Ridk Carlisle. “He’s just so, so good and I have always had just great respect for his talent, and everything about his game and him as a person, too. I know what a good guy he is, I’ve seen a lot of that. He has just gotten better in every way. Every year he has just gotten better and better and better. He’s one guy in today’s game, and there’s a few, who measure every single meter on the court and who always have an answer.”
Luka played out of shape for the first chunk of the season, which no doubt contributed to the Mavericks’ early struggles.
But with that stretch behind him, Doncic has led the Mavs to a resurgence in the West and they could end up surprising a lot of people by season’s end.
Whatever the case, there is no doubt that Luka Doncic is doing something right. When you are drawing comparisons to LeBron James, that truth is undeniable.
