Regardless of how flawed Luka Doncic is, there is no doubt that he is one of the best young players in the game. With an exceptional talent at scoring and making plays, he has emerged as the new face for the Dallas Mavericks in this post-Dirk Nowitzki era.
And while he’s easily a top-10 player to many fans today, it turns out that not everybody sees him as a transcendent superstar.
In a segment on “Inside The NBA,” NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal said the Mavs need someone “better” than Doncic, someone like Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal…
"They need a guy that’s just as good as Luka but a little bit better…like a Bradley Beal or Russell Westbrook."
– Shaq on the Mavericks pic.twitter.com/KNarMISlq5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 5, 2021
Obviously, Doncic still has a ways to go before he can be put in the same breath as some of the other elites. On things like defense and leadership, there is room for growth and it’s unlikely the Mavs will win until he improves in those areas.
But to say he’s not better than Beal and Westbrook, even at this point, is a super hot take. In just a little over two seasons in the NBA, he is seeing averages of 25 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game on 46.1% shooting.
In the comments, fans reacted about as extreme as you’d expect…
https://twitter.com/SuperStarRayy/status/1357490485871456258
Did he just say Westbrook is better than Luka??
— Jose (@BullsFanJose) February 5, 2021
Like russel Westbrook pic.twitter.com/j4qVKbb2f2
— Site (@YoSitee) February 5, 2021
westbrook?💀💀💀💀
— 𝙆𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙩 💫 (@netsgotnexxt) February 5, 2021
None of those guys are better than Luka lol
— Jacob Awada, PT, DPT (@AwadaJacob) February 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/biasedkyriefan/status/1357490540846215171https://twitter.com/wonder1369/status/1357497078528675840
Did he say a little bit better pic.twitter.com/uS5OPIOJwX
— Dr.Mike honcho ( Why yes I am brown and proud) (@Jessed4D) February 5, 2021
There were some that agreed with O’Neal but, all in all, it’s a pretty bold opinion.
Then again, if the Mavericks continue to lose games at their current pace, we might have to re-assess where Doncic lies on the NBA’s player hierarchy.
