Kevin Durant’s Friend Eddie Explains Why Jayson Tatum Is Better to Build Around Than Luka Doncic

Eddie Gonzalez, mostly known in the basketball community for his role alongside Kevin Durant on “The ETCs” podcast, continues to make waves with his hot takes despite the podcast’s last episode premiering four months ago. Gonzalez recently riled up a lot of fans on social media after claiming that Jayson Tatum is objectively better to build around as a franchise centerpiece than Luka Doncic.

Gonzalez was among the multiple users reacting to @LegacyMcCain’s tweet – which asked fans to pick between Tatum and Doncic as the easier option to build around. To this, KD’s friend wrote, ”One has a ring and never missed the playoffs with 3 coaches and tons of roster overturn so…”

One has a ring and never missed the playoffs with 3 coaches and tons of roster overturn so… https://t.co/W3eagFaPgo

— Eddie Gonzalez (@bansky) December 28, 2024

This X activity received instant traction, with almost 200k views in nearly five hours. A majority of the comments suggested that fellow basketball enthusiasts disagree with Gonzalez.

Many pointed out how Tatum only achieved the playoff success he did achieve because of the wealth of talent surrounding him on his team. Some fans even credited the Celtics’ management for Boston’s success. On the other hand, fans pointed out that Doncic had single-handedly made Dallas a playoff contender before he joined forces with Kyrie Irving.

And Irving’s support propelled Doncic to lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season.

However, Gonzalez is entitled to his opinion. Tatum is undeniably the more successful player between the two based on accolades on player. And as Eddie pointed out, he is an NBA Champion. But if the task is to build around a superstar, a perennial MVP contender like Luka will be the obvious choice for most GMs.

Jeff Teague also picked Tatum over Doncic

Eddie Gonzalez isn’t the only individual from the basketball community to pick Tatum over Doncic despite the absurdity of the choice. Jeff Teague also made headlines for a similar statement.

In an episode of “Club 520 Podcast”, Teague boldly stated that JT was better than the Slovenian superstar. The former NBA player highlighted the defensive capabilities of both players as the key factor in his argument.

“Luka not better than him… If I was starting my team, I probably would take Jayson for me because the way I like to play basketball, I like people who are gonna guard on both ends. And people who can take over the game.”

“Luka is cold. He just super cold. But I just wouldn’t start my team first just because I know he’s going get 40, 20, and 16 but I know on the other end, if there’s a killer out there, it’s Christmas,” Teague said.

Such comparisons between Tatum and Doncic highlight their contrasting strengths. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on what an individual values more – elite scoring and playmaking or a balanced two-way impact.