“Luka was the best player in this series” - Shannon Sharpe says there are no concerns over Luka Doncic’s status as a superstar, expresses concern over Mark Cuban giving him the right pieces
People are starting to question Luka Doncic's superstar status, but Shannon Sharpe does not think one game is enough to call him overrated.
The Dallas Mavericks' run in the 2021-22 NBA season came to an end last night. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Luka helped the team avoid a sweep in Game 4, but his cold shooting display did not provide much help in their Game 5 loss.
On "Undisputed: Skip and Shannon," the topic of whether Luka's superstar status should be questioned was raised. Sharpe thinks it should not. Skip Bayless argued that he is not a superstar, but Shannon sees things differently.
The former NFL player thinks the onus is on the franchise to surround the All-Star guard with the right pieces, stating:
"No. But it raised concerns for me whether or not Mark Cuban and that coaching staff and that organization is gonna be able to put the pieces around Luka Doncic in order for him to get back and even go a step further.
"Luka is what he is. He's 23-years-old. He's a three-time first-team All-NBA player. He's never going to be the most efficient player.
"For me, he had a great postseason run. We did see him knock up the No. 1 seed, a team that won 64 games.
"He finished the playoffs 32/10/6, which is great. But at the end of the day, outside of Luka, I felt Luke was the best player in this series. But the next four or five best players are all on the Warriors ball club.
"It's hard to see Luka not a top-five top-six player currently in the NBA. This does not nothing. My only concern is what are they gonna do. What are they gonna put around Luka so this doesn't keep happening?"
.@ShannonSharpe on whether he has concerns about Luka's superstar status:
"I'm not concerned. What I am concerned about is whether Mark Cuban and the staff can put the pieces around Luka in order for him to get a step further." https://t.co/MxuSUTbTQH
No one expected the Mavericks to get this far in the playoffs, which is why they have no reason to be disappointed. Now, all it takes is to go back to the drawing board and make a few acquisitions.
Luka Doncic made the 2022 All-NBA first team
For the third consecutive season, Luka Doncic was named to the All-NBA's first team.
Although the 23-year-old has not had playoff success, he has shown that he is a fiery competitor. Without much help, Luka has single-handedly led the franchise to three consecutive postseason appearances, ending a three-year hiatus.
Luka Doncic this playoffs:
-31.7 PPG
-9.8 RPG
-6.4 APG
-WCF appearance in his fourth season
The future is bright for the Mavs star 🌟 https://t.co/MXbNoZcYXS
The Slovenian has shown so much promise and could one day become the face of the league. However, there is still plenty of improvement he can make to be a complete player.
For two consecutive seasons, he has been the top scorer in the playoffs. Although his journey in the competition has ended, his 31.7-point per game average is still the mark to beat.