“He’s the guy that’s gonna carry the league on to next generation” - NBA analyst picks Luka Doncic over Jayson Tatum to predict early success in NBA career
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks has been playing incredible basketball once again. He is currently averaging 34.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. He's shooting 50.3% from the field, despite having the worst three-point shooting percentage of his career.
Due to his talent, it's easy to compare him to some of the other top players in the game. Some even believe that Luka Doncic might be the best player in the NBA, at least offensively.
One player that gets brought up frequently is Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Tatum and Luka are nearly the same age and put up insane numbers offensively. Tatum might've found more success in his young career in terms of winning, but Luka is right there with him.
NBA analyst Josiah Johnson believes that Luka is the guy over Tatum.
"I'ma go with Luka. He's been playing at a high level since he was 18. So him coming into the NBA, you know, it's a different situation. Guys who go to college or you know try the G League or Overtime.
A season ago, Luka Doncic showed the world that he can be the best player on a championship team. He single-handedly beat the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Tatum also carried his Boston Celtics team to the NBA Finals that season.
Josiah further added justification to his point saying:
Playing grown a** men at you know early age in his life so he had to get toughened and hardened and to see him on the court. I love Luka because I feel like our bodies are comparable, like he doesn't have that just, you know, like, athletic physique but the stuff he does on the court is so amazing and incredible."
Kevin Durant loves Luka Doncic
In a recent interview, Kevin Durant spoke about some of the top players in the NBA. Luka Doncic happens to be one of those players. During the interview, Durant had nothing but great things to say about the young superstar.
With the offensive game Durant has, it makes sense why he enjoys Doncic's game.
Kevin Durant had the following to say about Luka Doncic:
"He's just smooth out there. He's seeing everything before it even happens. He can dictate every pass that he wants. He's got a nice pace.
"He can get you up in the air. He might get a foul on one play—boom, you loosened up now. He gets into the paint, pump-fakes you, you jump, pump-fakes you again because he's moving so slow, one leg fade. His pace is so incredible to me.
"He's deceptively quick too. He'll get around you fast, he'll slip around you fast for a layup, then slow down. That's how he gets a lot of fouls too. He'll act like he doesn't have any athleticism."
Along with Jayson Taytum and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Doncic rounds up the NBA 2022-23 MVP favorites. The Mavericks are currently 9-8 and will face Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks in their next clash.