On Wednesday night, it happened again.
Luka Doncic nearly had a triple double: 27 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds. The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Denver Nuggets 107-106 in a thriller. Then the texts rolled in from my group of friends who know I have taken notice of Doncic.
You see, I haven’t watched the NBA as much in recent years as I have in 2019-2020. Some of the reason is this site, and another reason is because of talents like Doncic.
Through 33 games, he’s averaging 29.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and nine assists a night. All of this has analysts like Max Kellerman of ESPN’s First Take talking. Lets listen to the clip below before we react.
"Luka Doncic is the best 20-year-old player in the history of the NBA."
—@maxkellerman pic.twitter.com/6NWVmQwqeG— First Take (@FirstTake) January 8, 2020
Again, here’s what Max Kellerman says in the clip above.
“Now listen to what I’m saying very carefully. I’m not saying he’s the greatest. Magic Johnson jumped into center and gave the Lakers in the playoffs 42 points in a win. We don’t know if Luka has that in him. I’m not saying he has the most upside. I’m not talking about what he might become. I am talking about at the age of 20, who is the best ever in the NBA? It is Luka Doncic. He’s almost giving you a triple double.”
Kellerman goes on to say at 20 years old, he can shoot better than Magic Johnson or Lebron James at that age. He sounds thrilled.
You want to talk about impact talent? Doncic has me considering getting a subscription to NBA TV in the second half of the season. Without a doubt, that’s impactful.
I remember the craze about Andrew Wiggins, John Wall, and other big talents at their humble beginnings. Still, what I don’t recall is people saying things like this guy could be the second coming of Larry Bird all by the age of 20. I think Doncic is an entirely different animal.
Let’s get the Mavericks in the playoffs and see what happens when he’s on television every night. We all need more Luka to enjoy. Following the box scores on my phone simply isn’t enough.
