Luka Doncic Looks Like a Future Hall of Famer

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There are times in sports when you watch a young player dominate their competition and you have this feeling that you’re watching a future star. I got this feeling watching a 20-year-old Juan Soto hit 3 home runs with a .333 batting average in his first world series. I feel this way every single week as Lamar Jackson continues to revolutionize the quarterback position, and I felt this way last year as Giannis averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds to take home the NBA MVP award. It’s hard to explain this feeling, but every time I watch Luka Doncic play it feels like I’m watching a generational superstar. What I’m about to say would’ve seemed a little bit premature last year, but when Lebron retires I 100% believe Luka Doncic will be the face of the NBA. If you’re reading this and are wondering if the Luka hype is actually real, just stop wondering because the hype is undoubtedly warranted.

In just his second year, Luka Doncic is a top-five MVP candidate averaging 29.9 points 10.4 rebounds and 9.7 assists. Luka’s ppg is currently 9 points higher than it was last year and he has improved in nearly every statistical category even though his usage rate is higher and he’s taking more shots. This type of statistical growth is unprecedented and absolutely insane.

Let’s take a look at Luka’s last eleven games. By the way, the numbers are crazy.

*Format is points/assists/rebounds*

30/14/7 vs Cleveland Cavaliers

35/11/10 vs Golden State Warriors

42/11/12 vs San Antonio Spurs

26/7/15 vs Toronto Raptors

33/11/10 vs New York Knicks

34/9/6 vs Boston Celtics

24/8/14 vs Memphis Grizzlies

38/10/14 vs New York Knicks

27/7/7 vs Orlando Magic

29/15/14 (53% FG 50% 3PT FG

100% FT) vs Cleveland Cavaliers

31/15/13 vs Los Angeles Lakers

No need to wipe your eyes, I promise you’re seeing this correctly.

By the way, Luka currently has 7 triple-doubles through 15 games and is on pace to have 38 triple-doubles this season. Luka would probably be the frontrunner for the MVP if not for Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden playing out of their minds.

Luka is a unique, one-a-kind type of player. He’s different than any player we’ve ever seen. I’ve tried to come up with a good player comparison for Luka and I can’t come up with one. I think Luka is the modern-day Larry Bird. If you took 1986 Larry Bird and put him in the NBA in 2019, I believe his playstyle would be similar to Luka’s. However, I don’t think Larry Legend is the best comparison for him. Their playstyles are similar in that both players are very good passers, good rebounders, and fluid scorers all while not being particularly athletic, but Luka is much more ball-dominant, doesn’t post up as much, and shoots a higher volume of three-pointers. I think Luka is a combination of Larry Bird and James Harden. He is a terrific isolation scorer, and in just his second year, has implemented Harden’s signature devastating step back three-pointer into his arsenal. Combine his scoring ability with his playmaking and rebounding and you have a terrifying Larry Bird/James Harden hybrid. Usually I like to refrain from comparing young players to all-time greats, but in this case, it feels necessary.

This season Luka has elevated his play to a level I didn’t expect to see so early in his career. To be quite honest, I had questions about Luka coming out of the draft and I had no clue what his ceiling was. Well…..now I know. Luka doesn’t really have a ceiling. The sky’s the limit and there is nothing stopping him from becoming one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen. Luka is already approaching top-five player in the world territory at age 20 (He’s already top 10, probably top 7). What’s really crazy about Luka is the fact that he’s borderline unstoppable offensively in just his second season, and there’s still room for improvement. Of course, Luka is fantastic at PnRs, does a great job of setting up his teammates, and scores with ease in isolation sets, but his free throw and three-point shooting can improve. If he becomes a more consistent free throw shooter, lord help us because there will be nothing anyone can do to stop the wonder boy. Keep your eyes on Luka Doncic, because this is just the beginning of what might be a hall of fame career.