Luka Doncic has easily been one of the best players in the world in 2022. Since January 1, Doncic has averaged 29.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 32 games.
Doncic has already been lauded as a generational talent who is on his way to making his third All-NBA team appearance in just his fourth season. He already made his third All-Star Game and the Mavericks are looking to make a push to go past the first round of the playoffs this year.
ESPN analyst Ramona Shelbourne gave Doncic the ultimate NBA comparison, saying his play-style is akin to LeBron James.
“When you see him on TV, he looks big and is dominating physically. Last year when I was watching him against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, and he’s bigger than Kawhi. Kawhi, a former defensive player of the year, was struggling to keep up with him because he’s so physically dominant… At the time, I thought to myself, this is the first time we’ve seen someone who can play like LeBron. LeBron is more athletic, but Luka is a better shooter. But it’s close man. His size and the way he can bully people gives him such an advantage.”
Comparing Doncic’s playstyle to LeBron’s may be extremely generous, but Doncic has been earning these comparisons. He has established himself amongst the elite players in the league. The question now is whether Doncic can actually lead his team to playoff success.
LeBron in his fourth season led the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals before being swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Expecting Luka to reach that level this year may be a bit of a stretch, but he will be expected to finally break the first-round curse that has stopped him from advancing in the last two seasons.
