“One of the keys for LeBron to be able to do that is taking the punishment” - Nick Wright says 3x All-Star’s stylistical equivalent is LeBron James, believes he needs the extra weight to deal with punishment
LeBron James has been dominating the NBA for almost two decades. He's won numerous awards during his impressive basketball career. His list of accolades includes four MVP awards and four championship rings.
James' reign over the league has lasted for a long time. However, Luka Doncic could surpass him as they play similar styles of basketball.
Many NBA fans and analysts believe that the Dallas Mavericks superstar should lose weight and get in better shape. It seems that is exactly what he plans on doing as he was seen looking skinnier this summer.
Nick Wright spoke about Doncic on his "What's Wright" podcast, saying how the superstar needed to get in better shape.
"I do think he needed to get in better cardiovascular shape, because he has such a load on him offensively," Wright said on the podcast. "I think one of the reasons, that he either was lackadaisical on defense or wearing down in fourth quarters, was he was not in the best physical condition."
Luka Doncic is similar to LeBron James
Nick Wright believes that Luka Doncic and LeBron James are very similar in terms of how they play the game. Both are players who are capable of torching enemies with shots while also keeping their teammates involved in the game.
The NBA analyst also pointed out how similar their stats are.
"I think Luka's NBA equivalent, as far as stylistically on offense, is LeBron, right? He's not the athlete LeBron is, but he plays very similar and puts up very similar, you know, the 27-7-7 LeBron's thing where it's you're going to fill up every part of the box score."
Wright made good as Luka Doncic has averaged 26.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game so far in his career. LeBron James, on the other hand, has a career average of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.
Both players are extremely skilled and that is why LeBron was chosen as the best NBA player of all time by Nick Wright, while Doncic was ranked 20th.
LeBron James is much stronger than Luka Doncic
While both LeBron James and Luka Doncic are extremely gifted players, the key difference between them is their strength.
On this day 1 Year Ago, Luka Doncic had One of his best Olympics performances
16 PTS
10 REB
18 AST
Luka had the first Olympics triple double since LeBron James in 2012. https://t.co/5HjqNa33mr
The Los Angeles Lakers forward is a phenomenal athlete. He is extremely fast and can push his opponents out of the way easily, which is what helps him attack the rim more efficiently.
"One of the keys for LeBron to be able to do that is taking the punishment," Wright said. "For LeBron, it was with pure muscle, but then later in his career also put on extra weight. Luka is never going to have that type of body, but I do think a little extra weight helps him deal with the punishment."
Doncic is only 23 and has been working on his fitness during the offseason.