Masterminds of a Kind: LeBron James Lauds Luka Doncic's Game – Again
Luka Doncic has taken the NBA by storm in his first four season, making the All-NBA First Team three times and carrying the Dallas Mavericks as far as the Western Conference Finals this year despite not having an All-Star teammate. The 23-year-old Slovenian sensation holds career averages of 26.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and eight assists, as well as the second-best points-per-game average (32.5) in NBA playoff history.
It's no secret that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is a huge fan of Doncic. James picks Doncic in the All-Star draft every year and has gone out of his way to praise his game on a handful of occasions throughout the last three years. James even tried to make Doncic the ambassador of his "Team LeBron" shoe before he ultimately signed with Jordan Brand.
On a recent episode of Uninterrupted, James took some time to gush over Doncic's abilities yet again.
"His size. I mean he's gigantic, 6-8 point guard. He's 225 pounds. He has the ball on a string," said James. And more importantly, his vision. That's why I love [Luka Doncic] – his vision.
"He can control a game [and] he doesn't even have to shoot. Literally, he'll walk the ball up 10 straight times and get to his spot every single time just because of his pace. ... It's the mind."
The admiration is mutual for Doncic, as he idolized James growing up and even modeled some of his game after him. As detail oriented as James is, being able to see himself in Doncic is likely a big reason why he claims the Mavs' star as his favorite current player in the league.
“The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game," said James during All-Star Weekend. "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.
"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."
James, who averaged 30.3 points per game at age 37 for the underwhelming Lakers, has pretty much done it all at this point. He's won four championships (with three different teams), has been to a full decade's worth of NBA Finals, and is poised to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the league's All-Time Scoring List.
Rumors of James' dissatisfaction with the Lakers have died down since LA fired Frank Vogel and hired Darvin Ham – a move James very much approved of publicly. However, if the Lakers, who don't have many ways to realistically transform their roster into a contender, continue to underperform, James might seek to finish out his illustrious career elsewhere.
When and if that time comes, who's to say he wouldn't want to play with his favorite player in Dallas?
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter.
Catch up on the latest Mavs Step Back Podcast episodes:
