Praise Fit For A King: 'Luka Doncic Reminds Me of Me,' Says Lakers' LeBron James
There has been no shortage of comparisons for Luka Doncic since he entered the NBA nearly four years ago. Between James Harden, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and, of course, LeBron James, there's been a wide scope of players that many former NBA greats and coaches see in Doncic's game.
During the NBA All-Star Weekend media availability, LeBron James answered a wide range of questions, including one about his thoughts on the 22-year-old Dallas Mavericks superstar. James feels as if Doncic plays the game in a way that's emblematic of his own style. He also sees Doncic as someone that can rebound at a high level and has a focus on keeping his teammates engaged and involved all while also being able to drop a high number of points on the opposing team if needed.
“The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game," James said. "We’re triple threats. We rebound, we pass, which is the number one thing on our mind. … and we’ll put 40 on you too if you disrespect us.”
With James being a 6-foot-9 forward with the passing of a point guard and the ability to get to the rim when he wants, the bar is quite high when comparing anyone's offensive game to him. Doncic, who stands at 6-foot-7, is another all-around perimeter threat that poses major challenges utilizing his size.
While the 'NBA Bubble' was taking place, James' former star teammate, Dwyane Wade, also made the LeBron comparison after watching Doncic play. The passing ability both players have, specifically with getting the ball to shooters on all spots of the floor when getting double-teamed, was a key aspect that stood out to Wade.
"Quote me right where I say this - it's LeBron James-like from the standpoint of how he's able to rope that pass to shooters in corners, getting blitzed. There's not many guys who can do that and put it right there. He does an amazing job of it."
Hearing the kind of high praise that James gave him on Saturday has to feel good to Doncic, who has viewed James as one of his basketball idols since he was a kid.
Doncic, who is averaging 27.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists, will join Oscar Robertson and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to post those numbers in multiple full seasons if he can sustain those averages for 22 more games.
Where Doncic has plenty of catching up to do with James is in the championships and hardware department. James is a four-time NBA champion, has won four league MVPs, is an 18-time All-Star, and has been named All-NBA First-Team 13 times along with four other All-NBA honors. And let's not forget that James also has six NBA All-Defensive Team honors with five of those being First-Team nominations.
So far, Doncic has been named All-NBA First-Team during two of his seasons with a chance to potentially earn another if he can continue his strong recent stretch of play. Since not receiving a single media vote to be an All-Star starter, Doncic has averaged 35.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.
