“Rebound? 18 last night”: Luka Doncic savagely reminds JJ Redick of his underrated prowess
Luka Doncic remains one of the premier faces in the NBA, especially with the kind of production he is putting forth this season. During a podcast interview on "The Old Man & The Three" with JJ Redick, the Mavericks star reminded him of his underrated rebounding ability. It looked especially incredible when he had 18 rebounds in Tuesday night's 119-107 win against the Brooklyn Nets.
Redick previously talked about the plentiful responsibilities placed on Luka Doncic's shoulders. From scoring to playmaking, Doncic does it all for his team to have a chance of winning a ball game. However, he ensured that Redick didn't forget about his rebounding efforts.
"(29:00) Rebound? 18 last night," Doncic said. "Just making sure."
Doncic's hilarious response got a good laugh from Redick, who acknowledged that the Mavericks star is elite at securing boards for his position. This season, Doncic is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game while 8.6 rebounds per game for his career.
His 18 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets were accompanied by 35 points (13-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range) and nine assists. It was an incredible rebounding effort from the 6-foot-7 player, as he did against Nets center Nic Claxton (6-foot-11) and forward Ben Simmons (6-foot-10).
That stat line from Doncic is considered a regular standard for him, as pointed out by Redick in the podcast interview. It has got to a point where the other things he does well on the court go unnoticed.
Dallas Mavericks coach makes strong comparison between Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was in an interview on 97.1 The Freak's "The Downbeat." There, he made an interesting comparison between Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki.
"I've said this before, and I'll say this for as long as I'm here, you can't take this young man for granted," Kidd said. "He's better than Dirk ... he does things that Dirk could never do. And now is the opportunity of getting the right people around him to ultimately win a championship."
Before the Mavericks had Doncic lighting up the arena for the fans, they enjoyed the captivating performances of 14-time NBA All-Star Nowitzki. He led them to an NBA championship in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
There's no denying that what Doncic, only 24, has done at this stage in his career is already incredible.
Docic is in his sixth NBA season and still putting up incredible production on the court, so fans may take that for granted. With the continuous rise of players turning into bonafide stars, those who are already great at their craft often become an afterthought.
However, Kidd wants to ensure that doesn't happen to a player like Doncic. Not many players can do what he does for the Dallas Mavericks.