“He’s on the verge of perpetually being included in the 'best player alive' conversation” - Tim Cato believes this version of Luka Doncic is unstoppable
Luka Doncic was praised by Tim Cato in his article posted to The Atlantic on Tuesday. The piece is predicated upon the notion that Doncic’s name is going to be embedded into the MVP conversation for years to come. The recent, even more dominant version of Luka proves he is that next-level player.
This version of Luka Doncic is unstoppable
Tim Cato outlines:
“He’s on the verge of perpetually being included in the ‘best player alive’ conversation.”
The comments come after the Dallas Mavericks dominant 118-112 win against Milwaukee on Sunday, where Luka Doncic showed Giannis Antetokounmpo that Dallas means business. Antetokounmpo is currently in second in this year's MVP race, and though Luka Doncic has been playing very well, his name has yet to surface among the top 2. This game was Doncic’s way of letting everyone know that he is an MVP-caliber player as well.
HE. DID. THAT. 🤧 https://t.co/XvUqUVdwZo
Doncic finished Sunday night's victory with 32 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds. Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, finished with 28 points, 2 assists, and 10 rebounds. Both players had double-doubles and outstanding performances.
For the current 2021-22 NBA season, Luka Doncic is averaging 28.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. His Dallas Mavericks are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 49 wins to 30 losses. With no other superstars in Dallas, Luka’s efforts this season as a standalone great for the Mavericks are bringing his name into these conversations of greatness. The Bucks currently have a record of 48 wins to 30 losses with the championship big 3 Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo , and Jrue Holiday. For Doncic to be playing as well as he is without company is quite something.
It is important to note that Doncic is also only in his fourth year in the NBA. Across the 261 games in his career thus far, he has averaged 26.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. In comparison, across LeBron James’ 316 games played in his first four seasons, “The King” averaged 26.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Luka Doncic is most definitely making waves toward putting his name in the conversation with other NBA greats.
To have a player reach the MVP conversation year after year while embedding their name into history, one must be able to show up in the clutch. Averaging high points and carrying your team into the playoffs can only help your argument so much. Lucky for Doncic, he already has that figured out as well. Luka is a notably reliable player in clutch moments and has proven it time and time again.
The best of Luka Doncic's clutch moments
If the young star in Dallas can continue playing at this caliber, there should be no question about his ability to be an MVP-caliber player for his whole career. One thing holding Luka back from being included in the conversation at the moment is arguably the Mavericks' inability to make a dent in the playoffs.
The Dallas Mavericks have not made it past the first round of the NBA playoffs since the 2010-11 season. Though Doncic is currently playing like he wants to rectify that notion, this year's league has many strong contenders in both conferences who are just as hungry as the young star. Hopefully, for Luka’s sake, the rest of the Mavericks squad can pull the weight they need to in the post-season.