“Will he ever be considered the greatest? I don’t think so, not like LeBron or MJ” - Jay Williams says 3-time All-Star is a ‘special talent’, praises his impact on undrafted teammates
Luka Doncic has been massively impactful for the Dallas Mavericks and Jay Williams recognized it. However, he did express doubts as to whether the All-Star guard will ever be considered the GOAT.
The Mavericks put together a sensational display against the Golden State Warriors last night. They torched Golden State from beyond the arc while mixing things up with some hard drives to the rim.
They made sure that they were not swept in the series and will be heading to Chase Center for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
Closing games out has been a major problem for the Mavericks. They could well be 3-1 up if they had not squandered double-digit leads in two of their last three games. They led by as many as 29 last night, but came close to losing the lead, forcing Jason Kidd to call back his starters.
The NBA community has been reacting to the 119-109 victory, with many wondering if the Mavericks can pull off the unthinkable. However, Williams made his stance clear on that front in the latest episode of the "Keyshawn, JWill, and Max show."
The former NBA player said that while Luka is an incredible talent, he does not fancy them overturning a 3-0 deficit and winning the series. Williams said:
"I think everybody knows that this has a chance to be a gentleman's sweep or most the Mavericks get, maybe two games. But I'm picking the Golden State Warriors to come out of this whole thing, too.
"But there's a different part of the conversation I really want to address," he continued. "There've been a lot of people that's been saying things like, 'Well, Luka doesn't make people around him better.'
"First of, let me address multiple things here. The dude is averaging 37 points per game in elimination games like he's putting in the work. But also, who does he have on his team?"
Williams listed some of his teammates and pointed out how deep they were selected in the NBA draft, with some going undrafted. He said:
"We always get into this stuff and it brings me to the conversation with Bron (LeBron James) because LeBron took a team to the NBA Finals with guys like Mathew Dellavedova. But we are also talking about a guy that we compare to be the best player in the history of basketball.
"Luka is one of the special talents that we have in the game of basketball. Will he ever be considered the greatest? I don't think so, not like LeBron or MJ (Michael Jordan).
"So, let's just put that into perspective. They are in the Western Conference finals and he has taken his team there with a bunch of undrafted, second-round guys. That's incredible."
Comparing Doncic to LeBron James in terms of leading average teams to deep playoff runs says a lot about Doncic's abilities. LeBron has also cited similarities he has with the Dallas guard.
Jay Williams has been critical of Luka Doncic in the past
While Williams sings high praises for Luka, he has also given candid takes concerning the Slovenian. He's been especially critical of Doncic's defense. After their defeat in Game 1 of the WCF, Williams asked that Kidd hold Luka accountable, stating:
"As (for) me as a guard or as a hooper, if I turn the ball over and that leads to an offensive break, at least get your a** in the screen! At least show me that there is some kind of intensity in your mind that you wanna come back and redeem yourself from the turnover you had before.
"This happened multiple times last night, man. … I would pray that Jason Kidd would push Luka and hold him accountable."
Luka's defense is not a strong suit, but he could be a threat on the defensive end if he works on that area of his game. His length and size could pose a problem for opposing perimeter players.
Despite being 3-1 down, Luka is the leading scorer in the series. He is averaging 33.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 43.3% from the field.