“LeBron does it, KD does it, Steph does it, that’s the NBA model” - Colin Cowherd believes Luka Doncic has to get on the phone and recruit, questions if Luka is just a bigger version of James Harden
Colin Cowherd recently claimed that the only way for guard Luka Doncic to lead the Dallas Mavericks further is to assert his authority within the franchise. The alternative, Cowherd believes, is to turn into James Harden.
Speaking on "The Herd" on Thursday, Cowherd praised Doncic for his ability to dominate but added that ability dies out by the end of games. Doncic has little help in Dallas and as a result is forced into taking most games over. To make a lasting impact, Cowherd believes Doncic has to act like a superstar, recruiting other stars and putting pressure on the front office.
“LeBron (James) does it," Cowherd said. "KD (Kevin Durant) does it. Steph (Curry) does it. That’s the NBA model.”
Is Luka Doncic becoming the Dallas version of James Harden?
"Always has the ball, initiates a ton of contact, plays a lot of minutes and then by the end of the game he's gassed and they're picking on him." — @ColinCowherd https://t.co/yUMuLl0Mhg
As Cowherd outlined, Doncic has the ability to dominate games. But Doncic falls into stamina trouble late in games when needed most. As a result, the Mavs are not making the waves the squad has the potential to.
Cowherd feels Doncic needs to start taking more power upon himself and attempting to influence decisions. Whether it's telling coaches and executives who he would like to play with or who he wants gone, Doncic, who is still only 23, could take on that role.
Dallas is down 0-2 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns. Though the Suns are a tough matchup regardless, the two games have proven how much Doncic needs a supporting player or two.
Doncic finished the 121-114 Game 1 loss with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. His performance netted him a playoff scoring average of 33.4 points per game, tying the great Michael Jordan for first place.
The craziest stat for the Mavericks was Luka Doncic having more than double the numbers of the second-highest player from his team in each category. The Mavs' second-leading scorer was Maxi Kleber (19 points). Dorian Finney-Smith and bullock" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Reggie Bullock had the second-highest rebound total (six). And the second-highest number of assists came from Spencer Dinwiddie (four).
Doncic finished Game 2 in much the same fashion, scoring 35 points with five rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes. The next in line for points was Bullock with 16.
Cowherd may be correct: Doncic is going to need to get on that phone.
What Colin Cowherd meant by the James Harden comments is that Harden always had minimal help and was forced to always have the ball. That puts too much weight on him, eventually taking a toll either at the end of games or by playoff time, when teams needed him most.
“It was about five years ago, in his prime, that we were saying James Harden was better than Kobe," Cowherd said ."Analytically, he was the greatest, most-efficient scoring guard of all time.
"But there was a truth serum about James Harden, that he had the ball in his hands so often and he initiated so much contact he was exhausted by the end of games, he was a defensive liability. Is Luka Doncic just becoming the Dallas version, the bigger version, of James Harden?”
Cowherd looked at how many times Suns guard Paul went after Doncic after he realized he was getting tired. This is becoming a problem for Dallas, which is increasingly reliant on Doncic. Teams are actively wearing out Doncic to then seek him out late in the game and exploit his weak stamina.
“Chris Paul went after Luka 50 times as the screen defender," Cowherd said. "They were seeking him out. That’s what teams did to James Harden.”
Doncic is in need of help. Whether the organization realizes how immediate it is, or if it has the confidence in the current squad to grow, is still under question. But Cowherd may have a point when he says Doncic has to start taking matters into his own hands.
Players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant have all been active in their franchise's decisions. Doncic is going to have to do that if he wishes for a change in Dallas sooner rather than later.