Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero recently sat down for an interview with Overtime, where he was asked to describe Luka Doncic in one word. His response? Gangster.
“I’ll say gangster,” Banchero said.
Paolo describes Luka with 1 word: pic.twitter.com/eCDvj1I7K1
— d⁷⁷ 🇸🇮 🐈⬛️ (@_dp75) September 7, 2024
Banchero and Doncic spent some time together off the court recently, as they were part of Jordan Brand’s first-ever China Family Tour. I wonder if something happened there that led to Banchero using that term, or if he was just talking about the Dallas Mavericks star’s exploits on the court.
I think gangster is actually a pretty accurate description of Doncic when he is on the court. The 25-year-old relishes ripping the hearts out of opposing players and fans and demoralizing them. He might not look it, but Doncic is an assassin out there.
Banchero has had some first-hand experience of Doncic at his devastating best too. In the three games these two have played against each other, the Slovenian has averaged 39.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He has been remarkably efficient too, shooting 57.6% from the field.
To Banchero’s credit, he went toe-to-toe with Doncic when they last faced off on Jan. 29, 2024. The 21-year-old recorded 36 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals on the night and while he was ever so impressive, the Magic still weren’t able to get the win.
The Mavericks narrowly won 131-129 and Doncic was the star of the show, with 45 points, 9 rebounds, 15 assists, and 2 steals. He just toyed with the Magic, who were an excellent defensive team last season. There is no shame in that, though, as Doncic is capable of putting in those displays against every team in the NBA.
Jamal Crawford Also Called Luka Doncic A “Gangster”
Banchero isn’t the first to use that term to describe Doncic. Former NBA player Jamal Crawford stated that Doncic is a gangster who plays his best in the big moments.
“Luka [Doncic] is a gangster. And I mean that in the most respectful way possible. Luka is really like that. These guys will tell you, we know in the league there are some real dogs and then there are dogs who are more like puppies. Luka is a real dog. The bigger the moment, the bigger the play, the better Luka is. Even some greats don’t do that.”
“He’s different. He’s playing like he has headphones on. You can’t speed him up, he’s out there doing his thing. His pace makes you go at his pace and then he just dissects you. He’s something different.”
Doncic certainly does tend to step up in the biggest moments. His career postseason averages currently stand at 30.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, which is simply ridiculous. He has put up those numbers against some tough opposition and even when he has “struggled,” he has managed to perform better than most.
As Crawford alluded to, Doncic also plays at his own slow pace and forces the defense to adapt to it. He then surgically dissects the opposition to either get an easy look for himself or for one of his teammates. Doncic did that for much of the 2024 playoffs and while he and the Mavericks ultimately came up short in the NBA Finals, I think they will eventually get over the line at some point in the future.
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