Luka Doncic’s Individual Excellence Doesn’t Make Him LeBron James’ Best Teammate, Says Shannon Sharpe

Luka Doncic finally performed to his standards in the Lakers’ recent 123-100 win over the Nuggets. In the wake of his outstanding play, many people wonder if Doncic could be LeBron James’ best teammate ever.

NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe warns everyone to hold their horses. While recognizing Doncic’s individual excellence, he points out the fine line of that translating to being LeBron’s on-court bestie.

Throughout LeBron’s illustrious 22-year NBA career, he has played with tremendous talent like Hall-of-Fame guard Dwyane Wade and nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. Some even elevate former Lakers big man, Anthony Davis, into those conversations.

Although Wade and Irving were ball-handlers, they excelled off-the-ball while on the court with James. Doncic, however, needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Sharpe is aware of this difference and believes it could prevent the pairing from reaching their full potential.

Shannon said, “Luka is better on the ball than he is off the ball. LeBron James needs the ball but LeBron can play off the ball. Luka might be the better player individually but that don’t mean that he’s the best player with LeBron as a duo.”

Sharpe didn’t discount the Slovenian star’s skills—he did lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals just a season ago. Sharpe’s concern lies with the eerily similar play styles of James and Doncic.

If the Lakers can sustain performances like their outing against the Nuggets, the LeBron-Luka duo could go down in history as one of the best.

LeBron’s best teammates in his career

It’s hard to argue that LeBron has had better teammates than Wade and Irving. He won two titles with Wade on the Heat and iconically took down the 73-9 Warriors to win the 2016 championship.

Although Wade and Irving’s play styles were different, they both fit like a glove alongside James.

Wade wasn’t an outstanding three-point shooter, but his chemistry with LeBron was like none other. The Heat duo rivaled the likes of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour films. Wade’s willingness to take a step back allowed LeBron to flourish during the physical peak of his career.

LeBron took a page out of Wade’s book once he returned to Cleveland. Don’t let the story be twisted, James was still the best player on the Cavaliers. However, he did allow Irving to shine while he sat back and watched.

A few other notable are Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who each played pivotal roles alongside James at different points of his career.