Luka Doncic Better Than LeBron James Was at Age 23, Says Tim Hardaway Sr.
When it comes to Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, nothing really surprises us anymore. He is capable of dissecting any defensive scheme thrown at him, and the only thing that seems to be able to slow him down even a little bit is fatigue from having to do it all for the Mavs.
Doncic grew up admiring Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, and he's even admitted that he's molded some of his game after him. In an interview with Sports Lens, former Maverick and newly-minted NBA Hall-of-Famer Tim Hardaway Jr. spoke about how Doncic is currently out-performing James when comparing the two stars' first four years and change in the league.
“I will take Luka at 23 (years old),” said Hardaway when asked if he thought Doncic or James was the better player at that age. “What he’s doing now, his jump shot. But we have to remember, Luka has been playing professional basketball since he was the age of 16. He’s been playing professional basketball. He’s been playing against grown men. LeBron just started playing against grown men at 18. Then he had to figure it out. That took him about 3 years.
“I will stay right now, looking back, 23 and 23. What Luka is doing? Yeah, I think that he’s doing it better than what LeBron was doing.”
It’s a glowing endorsement from Hardaway, who played in an area that many believe was tougher than today’s NBA. As tough as Doncic is, though, there could be long-term consequences for the Mavs if they can’t get him a true second star on the roster at some point. But as of right now, like James did, he’s not having many issues carrying his current load.
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