Hall of Famer Hubie Brown gives Luka Doncic brutal reality check before Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant comparisons
Hall of Famer Hubie Brown has been around the NBA since, quite literally, before the league added the three-point line in 1979. After going undrafted in the 1955 draft, Brown spent a year playing for the Rochester Colonels while coaching high school basketball. He then transitioned into coaching full-time, both at the collegiate level and the professional level.
Hubie Brown's reputation precedes him. As a two-time NBA Coach of the Year winner and 1975 ABA Champion as a coach, Brown's seen it all during his career. Over the past few years, with the emergence of Luka Doncic as a star in today's NBA, comparisons to dominant players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James have continued to surface.
The way Hubie Brown sees things, the comparisons between Doncic and the other players is a bit premature. With Luka Doncic being a player bigger than the average at his position, Brown thinks the young star's game is uniquely his own.
"I think he has a distinct style because of his size and his weight, to be on the perimeter 90% of the game. But then he has the innate ability to understand defensive and offensive board play. And that’s backed up by 8.8 rebounds. So he has a very highly intelligent basketball IQ
I say, 'Attendance first. Let’s match up.' And then second, tell me how many times he made the All-Defensive team?"
Hubie Brown discusses the difference between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and others like Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic has continued to impress throughout his NBA career, repeatedly elevating his game and proving that he has what it takes to compete at the highest level. Last season, when Doncic averaged 32.4 points per game, what was then a career-high, many were floored by his improvements from the year before.
Not only had he gone from a 28.4 ppg scorer to a 32.4 ppg scorer, he managed to improve his efficiency, going from 45.7% from the floor to 49.6% from the floor. This season, not only has Luka Doncic once again averaged 49.6% from the floor, but he's also improved on his scoring numbers with 34.5 ppg, leading the NBA.
Despite that, Hubie Brown believes that availability, and defense, are what separate Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant from others. As he explained in the previously-mentioned interview, Jordan led the league in games started eight seasons, while playing in 80+ games all but two of his full seasons in the NBA.
Between that, and his defensive abilities, Hubie Brown believes Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, distance themselves from their peers.
"That’s where Michael Jordan separates. That’s where Kobe Bryant separates. They separate from all the people that want to try to make comparisons. Because now you go to All-Defensive team.
"I don’t care if it’s first, second or third team. They're on the All-Defensive team while they’re carrying you at the other end of the floor"
With Doncic only in year six, the comparisons to other great players are sure to pick up momentum over time.