Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has inspired comparisons with legends like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in less than 2 seasons in his NBA career.
Among active superstars, Doncic’s game may be very similar to that of permanent MVP candidate James Harden, who admitted on Saturday night that he considered the comparisons legal.
“There are some similarities,” Harden said after the Mavs ‘115-98 victory won the Brooklyn Nets’ eighth game. “He never allows anyone to speed him up, and he gets what he wants. It’s rare for a guy at a young age. I think he’s 21 years old. And to be able to dictate the game and play the game. control like him, we all know he has a very, very bright future.
“The Mavs got a special one.”
Harden’s comments were not necessarily a reaction to Saturday night’s game in which he was the only All-Star available to the Nets, with Kevin Durant (thigh muscle) and Kyrie Irving (maintenance injury) sidelined.
“Whoever has to fit in the queue has to be better, and that’s starting with me,” said Harden, who had 29 points and six assists but was held to just four points after the break.
Doncic scored 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting, six rebounds and seven assists in the win, an impressive but routine performance for a player averaging 28.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game.
Nevertheless, Doncic was flattered when he heard of Harden’s praise.
“It’s something you can not even describe when someone says something like that about you,” Doncic said. “It’s just great. I really appreciate it. I keep an eye on him. He’s an amazing player and just very special.”
It was Dallas’ seventh win in the last nine games when the 16-16 Mavs climbed back to .500.
One important factor in the revival of the Mavs was that several players recovered from COVID-19 and regained their rhythm. Starters Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Richardson and reserve Dwight Powell all missed extended stretches due to the coronavirus, and rugby point guard Jalen Brunson also missed several games due to health and safety protocols, though he never tested positive.
The other big development during Dallas’ turnaround was perhaps the best piece of Doncic’s spectacular young NBA career.
Doncic, who turns 22 on Sunday, has averaged 31.6 points over the past nine games, shooting 51.6% off the floor and 46.1% from the three-point series. Over the course of his career, he scored the three best points of the regular season in his career – 46, 44 and 42 points – and he also averaged 7.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists, which the Mavs carried, just as Harden did for the Houston Rockets for eight years. before being traded to Brooklyn this season.
“Harden has been in a situation the last few years where the offense really revolved around him,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “With our team doing it just like Luka, but our style is a little bit different from Houston and Brooklyn. Both of these players are generation-type players. There’s no doubt about it.”