Skip Bayless: Mavs' Luka Doncic Best Offensive Player in NBA, Better Than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
As the Dallas Mavericks continue their push toward the postseason, superstar Luka Doncic is looking to put the finishing touches on what has been the best season of his career. Through 55 games, Doncic is averaging 34.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from 3-point range and 78.6 percent on free throws.
Doncic has been so good that he's even changing the minds of some of his harshest critics. On a recent episode of FS1's Undisputed, Skip Bayless, who hasn't been shy about criticizing Doncic in the past, says he now believes Doncic is the best offensive player in the league.
"I would," Bayless said when asked if he would name Doncic the best offensive player in the NBA right now. "And I have been critical of him in the past. You say I don't give anybody credit, but I do give him credit. ... When [Luka] first got into the league, I was skeptical because he was a poor 3-point shooter, kinda like LeBron-esque. He couldn't make his free throws, a lot of clutch free throws. And he used to hover around 30 percent and sometimes below from 3.
"He has gotten in the lab. Every year, he gets a little better, and a little better, and a little better. I don't like to look at him, only because he still doesn't look like he's in shape to me, he just doesn't. But if I step back from it and evaluate it objectively, I say look at the impact he's having, leading the league in scoring ... he's third in assists."
Not only did Bayless complement Doncic's year-to-year improvement, but he also went as far as saying Doncic is a better player than the best player on the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"I love Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], because I do love the Thunder because I am from Oklahoma, and I have pushed him for at least being right in the middle of the MVP conversation because he belongs there," Bayless said.
"But he cannot assist the basketball the way [Luka] does, and Shai can't rebound remotely the way [Luka] does, and it's below-the-rim rebounds. It's like Dennis Rodman-esque the way [Luka's] rebounding, but he's 18th in the league. So he's a top-20 rebounder."
It's not often that we agree with Bayless' takes, but he was on point with this particular one. If the Mavs can finish the season strong and secure a top-six seed in the West, Doncic, who is averaging numbers that have never been averaged in NBA history, will have a solid case to bring home his first MVP award.
