| Luka Doncic is being talked about for his scoring, and his passing, and his scarcely-conceivable court vision – and he doesn’t want to hear it. He’s having highlight reels flood social media of his most audacious recent creation, a through-the-legs, game-clinching bounce pass in traffic on Saturday – and he’s got no time for it. He’s had his name dropped into the discussion for the NBA’s MVP award and its Most Improved Player accolade, yet he’s busy putting up names other than his own who he believes are more deserving. And he’s not interested in your projections for his future, your analysis of whether he can be the league’s standard bearer for years to come and whether he is the next coming of a former great. He’s not rude or indifferent to the attention being foisted upon him. In fact, if there was an NBA All-Smiling Team, he’d be one of the first names on the list. But he’s just too busy having fun down there in the bubble to pay attention to all the noise. |
| His coach, Rick Carlisle, is having a good old time, too. “Luka is not only a great basketball player, he is a great performer,” Carlisle said. “I’d pay money to watch him play. I don’t say that about a lot of players.” It turns out that being 21 years old, supremely gifted, and sequestered at Disney World with nothing to do but play more basketball isn’t a bad way to spend your summer. Doncic has been one of the stars of the bubble, and with a 29-9-9 stat line on the season, he is nearly averaging a triple double across the campaign. Since hoops got back underway, Doncic has conveyed a sense of poise and confidence beyond even what he displayed before the shutdown. |
This past weekend’s virtuoso against the Milwaukee Bucks was perhaps the high point, one that elevated him to a new level in the conversation about who is going to lead this league forward for the next 10 years. “One of the most talented guys I’ve ever played against,” Milwaukee’s reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters. “He’s making the whole team better and he’s going to keep getting better.” American sports loves to compare and live in a world that is both present and hypothetical. When a player comes along that combines flair, fearlessness and resounding productivity, it is going to get people talking. “This kid is special,” FOX Sports’ Shannon Sharpe said on Undisputed. “He’s going to be an MVP. It’s just a matter of time.” |
Things in Orlando are warming up nicely for a postseason that is now just a week away. Everything seems to be aligning for Dallas to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round, a juicy matchup that will also give Doncic a stern defensive test. Having both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George conspiring to stop you is no one’s idea of fun, but such obstacles are the kind of thing that the greats define themselves by. In truth, the Clippers are a significantly stronger team, and the Doncic X-Factor is the biggest thing that would make such a series both watchable and potentially competitive. You never quite know what is going to happen when Doncic has the ball in his hands, and neither does he. His late heroics (and 19th assist) against the Bucks set social media ablaze, and while it feels silly to single out one play, this one was worth it. With Dallas up by two with a minute left in overtime, Doncic drew in a double team then slid the ball between his legs with his left hand, perfectly into the path of the fast-advancing Maxi Kleber, who dunked it with ferocity as the Mavericks’ bench erupted. |
Teammate Kristaps Porzingis’ look of awe and disbelief was must-see in its own right and it makes us think … with Doncic still only 21, we could be seeing this kind of thing for the next 15 years. He’s getting better, and at a rapid pace. “His ceiling is as one of the ten greatest players ever,” FS1’s Nick Wright told First Things First. “And we are seeing it night-in, night-out. What we are seeing from Luka is a guy who can do everything and if you were to set his career MVPs at 1.5, you would have to hammer the over.” With the Clippers probably lying in wait, there is a chance that Doncic plays only a handful more times this campaign. There is a lot of basketball to be played after the first round, and if Dallas does get knocked out, a lot of other players who will be talked about, and saluted and discussed over the coming weeks. But you’ll be hearing a lot more tributes about Doncic, and for a long time, too. You just won’t be hearing them from him. |
Here’s what others have said … Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports: “Watching (Luka) Doncic, it’s beginning to feel like we are only watching the first phase of a multistage rocket hurtling toward inner-circle Hall of Fame status. That was likely true before the NBA was put on forced hiatus, but it was never more evident than on Saturday against the team with the best record in basketball.” Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: “He’s playing great basketball. He’s a great basketball player, makes his teammates better. Talented … really talented. As long as he makes his team better, they’re going to be tough to beat.” Tim Bontemps, ESPN: “Both Doncic and the Mavericks are far from finished products. He won’t turn 22 until 2021 — the same year Dallas will hope to strike it rich in free agency and lure another star, with a list of candidates led by Antetokounmpo, to come play alongside Doncic and Porzingis. But Doncic is good enough now that the Mavericks will make the playoffs in his second season in the league — something players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant were unable to do.” |
