Former NBA head coach and commentator Stan Van Gundy called Luka Doncic the best offensive player he has ever seen in the NBA.
“I think the best offensive player now that I’ve ever seen is Luka Doncic… I did see MJ. I don’t think there’s anything the guy can’t do offensively. He’s huge, he’s 6’8″, and big. He shoots the ball from deep. I wouldn’t have said this even a year-and-a-half or two years ago, but he’s become a more consistent shooter from range… He can drive the ball from the perimeter, he can score in the post, and he’s one of the best passers we have ever had in the league. There’s literally no one that can match up with him.”
Van Gundy clarified that he doesn’t mean to say Luka is the greatest of all time and he’s just talking about offense.
“When we incorporate both ends of the floor, there are guys I would say have been better players than he is now. But strictly as an offensive player, I think he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”
After criticism for overlooking Michael Jordan, Van Gundy explained why he rates Doncic as a better offensive player than both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
“Had Jordan come up in this game, he may have shot the three as frequently and as well as Doncic does. It just wasn’t a volume 3-point league, so maybe he would have eaten him up on that part. Jordan wasn’t a bad passer, but he wasn’t Luka Doncic as a passer. He did not have Luka’s size or strength. I’m not trying to demean Michael Jordan in any way or LeBron James, but Luka Doncic is a different level to me offensively.”
"I think the best offensive player now that I've ever seen is Luka Dončić…as strictly an offensive player, I think he's the best I've ever seen." – @realStanVG
📺 https://t.co/ICjsqg6hPm pic.twitter.com/tKqWcdil6Z
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) April 11, 2024
A late riser in the MVP conversation, though he’s been magnificent all season long, Doncic is averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists this season. He’s locked in to win his first NBA scoring title as well. The Mavericks are looking locked into the No. 5 seed, securing 50+ wins for the second time in Luka’s career.
Nikola Jokic Said Luka Doncic Deserves To Win MVP
After a matchup between the Nuggets and Mavericks, where Dallas won off a miracle buzzer-beater from Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic made it clear that he thinks his close friend, Luka Doncic, deserves to win the MVP award.
“I think he deserves the MVP 100 percent. But it’s not my decision, to be honest.”
Doncic has a credible case, becoming the player with the highest average of combined points, rebounds, and assists in the modern era over a season. The Mavs’ record compared to Jokic and Shai has been brought up to minimize Doncic’s case, but he’s on pace to finish 5-7 wins behind both of those players while having had one of the most injury-prone supporting casts in the West this season.
The Mavericks organization has been pushing for Luka’s MVP case to be recognized, wearing ‘Pravi MVP’ (True MVP) t-shirts to shootaround ahead of their game against the Miami Heat. Their official social media channels and Mark Cuban’s personal Twitter have been promoting Luka’s MVP case incessantly as well.
You could give it to either Jokic or Luka and it’ll be a satisfactory outcome for me personally. Although, it seems we will be watching Jokic win his third MVP trophy in a matter of few weeks, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely finishing third and Doncic’s late-season surge not being enough to catapult him out of No. 3.
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