“There’s a little bit of Magic Johnson ‘Showtime’ in him” - Jay Williams boldly compares 3x All-Star to LA Lakers legend after his postseason heroics
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been compared to Magic Johnson by former NBA player Jay Williams after his heroics in the series against the Phoenix Suns.
On ESPN's morning radio show "Keyshawn, JWill and Max," former Chicago Bulls player Jay Williams spoke about how Luka Doncic reminded him of LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Jay Williams said:
"There’s a little bit of. … Magic Johnson ‘Showtime’ in him. When you're watching him play, it doesn't feel like you're watching a game. It feels like you're watching an event.
"There's a performance that this dude puts on and the amount of trash talking, like, you'll never question the grittiness or the toughness of this dude."
Luka Doncic averaged 32.6 points on a nightly basis against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals series. He also recorded 9.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
He shot nearly 33.8% from beyond the arc and was the orchestrator for the Mavericks throughout the series, especially in their rout in Game 7 in Phoenix.
“There’s a little bit of…Magic Johnson ‘Showtime’ in him.”
@RealJayWilliams has a major comparison for Luka Doncic! #KJM https://t.co/b7s0i7OJQl
Is Jay Williams right to compare Luka Doncic to Magic Johnson?
Luka Doncic, in his young career thus far, has garnered comparisons to the likes of Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Larry Bird. This is a testament to the greatness of the Slovenian and his level of performance thus far.
The superstar has been mentioned in MVP conversations and will, in all likelihood, win the award in the not-so-distant future for the Mavericks. They've built around Doncic, especially after acquiring Spencer Dinwiddie in a trade with the Washington Wizards that saw Kristaps Porzingis go the other way.
Luka Dončić has his 5th playoff game with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, breaking a tie with Dirk Nowitzki for the most in Mavs postseason history.
Nowitzki's 4 games came across 145 games in his playoff career; Luka needed just 22 to pass him. https://t.co/L6pkQ151p1
Doncic has been compared to Magic Johnson by Jay Williams because of how he runs the offense for the team and is a complete player on the offensive end.
He makes his teammates better and can score at will by either attacking the rim or from the perimeter. Doncic excels in one-on-one situations and also possesses the capability to hurt the team from the interior with mid-range jumpers.
While the likes of Bird, Magic and LeBron James have all won multiple championships and have won almost everything there is to win on repeated occasions, Doncic, at the moment, is on the same trajectory.
If he can get past the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals and lead this team to a championship this year, then he will have justified those comparisons.