The Los Angeles city rivalry between Lakers and Clippers fans will always rage on. However, that same animosity between the fanbases isn’t necessarily reflected on the court between the players. This was evident when Clippers’ point guard James Harden showered Lakers’ point guard Luka Doncic with praise for being an elite point guard due to his ability to make others better while doing his own offensive damage.
“It’s certain point guards. Like certain point guards aren’t able to — It’s elite. It’s elite point guards that make guys better… If you can do it at the highest level and continue to make guys better, no matter where you are, what team you’re on, or what type of big it is, then that person deserves a lot of credit. Look at somebody like Luka, who has done that. You gotta be special.”
I asked James Harden about how certain point guards can elevate their bigs, and he specifically mentioned Luka Doncic as a player doing that in today’s game.
“It’s certain point guards. Like certain point guards aren’t able to — It’s elite. It’s elite point guards that make… pic.twitter.com/0FrblVM1GF
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 3, 2025
Traditional point guards used to be on the court to ensure they could set everyone else up. Even someone like Magic Johnson only averaged over 20 points in four seasons of his career because the point guard role demanded the player to maximize the people around him.
Over the years, that notion has greatly evolved. It wasn’t long ago that Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, and Chris Paul were winning and competing for MVPs as traditional floor-setters who were second or third scoring options on their roster. But ever since the rise of the likes of Derrick Rose, Harden, and Russell Westbrook, elite point guards are high-volume scorers who can also orchestrate an offense.
Doncic might have taken this notion to the absolute max, averaging 33.9 points and 9.9 assists per game last season. He’s one of the best scorers and passers in the NBA, being able to unilaterally dictate how opposing defenses will set up against him due to his game-changing ability as an on-ball decision-maker.
Doncic has often been considered a spiritual evolution of the style Harden pioneered in the 2010s when he became a one-man offensive machine. His lack of championship success in that role has caused many to decree that Doncic can’t win a title with this style of play.
He came close to proving everyone wrong by reaching the NBA Finals last season, something Harden only did as a sixth man. He also beat Harden’s Clippers in the first round of the Playoffs last season as the lower-seed, so it’s clear Harden recognizes the skill and caliber of a player like Doncic.
Luka has had a down year compared to what we expect from him, averaging 27.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists this season.
A combination of injuries and a mid-season trade have greatly upset his rhythm this season. Lakers fans will be hoping Doncic finds himself again before the Playoffs or in the offseason to ensure Nico Harrison’s suspicions of the best being in the rearview mirror for Doncic remain misguidedly untrue. Otherwise, Harrison might be remembered as a genius for moving off Doncic before his decline set in.
