Rick Carlisle Sees Shades of Lakers Legend in Luka Doncic

Before landing with the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade that rocked the NBA, Luka Doncic spent the first six and a half years of his playing career in the United States with the Dallas Mavericks, where he became a bonafide superstar and one of the elite guards in the league.

Doncic’s first head coach with the Mavs was Rick Carlisle, who was impressed with what he saw from the Slovenian import.

Rick Carlisle Compares Luka Doncic to Lakers Legend Magic Johnson

During an appearance on The Draymond Green Show, Carlisle was asked what it was like coaching Doncic in Dallas. The veteran head coach, who is now the leader on the sideline for the Indiana Pacers, was impressed with the talented and versatile rookie guard right out of the gate.

“Luka's playing with these guys (Mavericks veteran players), and he is playing like Magic Johnson," Carlisle said. "He is rebounding, and he is throwing dimes all over the place. He wasn't really even looking to score.

“I'm like, ‘God, this guy is like a Magic Johnson type player.’ Then we get into the season, and I wasn't really sure what position he was going to be. I thought he was probably going to be a three-man because he was almost 6'8", but he kept saying he's a point guard.”

That’s some pretty high praise from Carlisle, especially considering he faced Magic Johnson up close and personal during the Showtime era while playing alongside Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

Johnson is a good comp for Doncic from a court-vision standpoint, but they definitely played at different speeds, with the Lakers thriving on a fast-paced style that led to five NBA titles, while Magic was at the heart and soul of the Showtime Lakers.

Doncic, however, forces the opposition to play at his pace, which is much slower and involves a lot of outside shooting, which Magic and company never leaned because they were so good at crushing opponents by running them off the floor.

Rick Carlisle on Luka Doncic: ‘Most Unique Player I’ve Ever Worked With’

Along with comparing Doncic to arguably the greatest point guard of all time, Carlisle didn’t stop there with his high praise for the new face of the Lakers franchise.

“I said this during the year, from a talent standpoint and ability and everything else, he's the most unique player I've ever worked with,” Carlisle said of Doncic. “He's just so, so good. He's a killer. He's a killer competitor, too. You put the right guys around him, and I defy you to figure out a way to beat him because he is smart as hell, and he knows every trick in the book, and he knows how to win.”

As the post-LeBron James era officially gets underway in Los Angeles next season, the Lakers are going all in on building around Doncic, as the team has overhauled its roster ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The pressure will be on for Doncic moving forward, but he seems to be up for the challenge in what will be a tough Western Conference for many years to come.

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