Luka Doncic has dominated since entering the NBA. The Slovenian superstar has been an MVP candidate since his second season, has taken his team to the Western Conference Finals, and has drawn comparisons to one of the greatest players ever.
Luka Doncic is often compared to Larry Bird, but former Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper thinks it’s way too soon for all that.
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“No, I don’t see that,” Michael Cooper said. “This guy’s gotta win a championship first. He might look like Bird a little bit. He might have that tenacity that Bird had, but he ain’t nowhere near Bird’s gamesmanship on the court.
“I mean, the guy can hit some shots, but win some championships first. Win one, then we can kinda start talking about it. Win two, OK, we might make a comparison.”
Michael Cooper was the defensive stalwart on the Showtime Lakers and as such, knows probably more than anyone else what it’s like to guard prime Larry Bird. He was Defensive Player Of The Year in 1987, and Larry Bird himself described him as the best defender he faced during his career.
Luka Doncic has enjoyed an incredible start to his NBA career, and some of the records he has set as a youngster are hard to believe. But it’s too early for comparisons to Larry Bird, even though many think he has earned them. Larry Bird was a consummate winner, and Doncic has some way to go before he can be in the same conversation.
Luka Doncic’s Career After 4 Seasons Compared To Larry Bird’s First 4 Seasons
Luka Doncic is in his 5th season in the NBA, and in his first 4 seasons, he has won Rookie Of The Year while being named to the All-NBA First Team thrice and making the All-Star team thrice. Doncic has led his team to the Western Conference Finals once and has averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game for his career so far.
In comparison, Larry Bird was an NBA champion in his first 4 seasons in the league, had made the All-Star team all 4 years, and the All-NBA First Team all 4 years as well. He had also led the Celtics to the Conference Finals two times apart from the season they won it all. He averaged 22.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in those years.
Luka Doncic might not be able to achieve everything that Larry Bird did, but he has done enough to warrant saying that he is on the right path. As Michael Cooper said though, he’s got a lot of work to get into the conversation with Larry Legend.
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