In recent memory, Luka Doncic is one of the highest potential players to enter the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks star is just 23 and is already looking well on his way to being a Hall of Famer. He has overachieved in the playoffs with the Mavericks for the last 3 seasons and has established himself as a perennial MVP candidate.
The 2022-23 NBA GM survey smiled kindly upon Luka, showing how much GMs around the league value him. Not only did Doncic win most likely to win MVP and was ranked as the 2nd-best international player ahead of Nikola Jokic, but he was also put in the top 3 for 3 different positions.
Luka was really voted as a top 3 player at 3 different positions 😂 pic.twitter.com/PDja3AWw3n
— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) October 4, 2022
Doncic came 2nd in point guard rankings behind Stephen Curry with his lowest vote share out of the 3 positions, coming in at 14%. Doncic fared better in the small forwards’ list, getting 17% of the vote and finishing ahead of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Luka received 28% of the vote to be named the 2nd best shooting guard in the NBA as well, finishing behind Devin Booker.
Is Luka Doncic That Versatile?
Doncic, being 6’7″ allows him to float around multiple positions on the court. His first 2 seasons saw him play as a small forward and shooting guard, but he has been a bona fide point guard for a big chunk of his entire career. He gets the multi-positional treatment due to the Mavs playing versatile lineups where Doncic rarely guards the point guard of the opposing teams, gravitating towards wings.
Due to his lack of defensive ability, it is hard to imagine Luka playing consistently as a wing. LeBron is a point forward because he plays as a forward but can still operate as the playmaker. Luka is strictly a playmaker and offensive machine on one end, fulfilling the role of a point guard.
Positions are becoming meaningless in a world where positionless basketball is taking over. The Mavs proved that last season with their 3-guard lineups with Luka as the point guard on offense, but taking defensive matchups against the wings. Everyone would probably take Luka over Kawhi and LeBron in isolation, but it’s hard to say Doncic would be better as a full-time forward than those former Finals MVPs.
