The old adage, ‘Game Recognizes Game’ may be the best analogy that could describe Kevin Durant talking about Luka Doncic. A two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, and a 14-time All-Star, Kevin Durant is widely considered to be one of the most complete scorers in the NBA. Being a dominant force in the league for over a decade, Durant did not realize how good Luka Doncic was until he locked horns with him.
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KD made an appearance on the Boardroom podcast. The Slim Reaper sat down with his long-time agent Rich Kleinman to talk about various aspects of the game. And one such topic was Luka Doncic and his rise to stardom.
During the episode, Rich Kleinman wanted to know the Phoenix Suns’ star forward’s thoughts on Luka Doncic and if he knew how good the Slovenian would turn out to be once he got drafted into the NBA back in the 2018 draft.
“No. Not until I started playing against these dudes. It’s hard to say when a dude gets drafted if he’s gonna do what these dudes are doing right now. But when you play against them, and you see the support they got behind them and just the style of play they playin’ with. You can tell they gonna do some historic sh*t.”
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Being drafted as one of the top picks in the NBA draft does not assure that a player will have a blossoming career in the league. Over the years, fans have witnessed numerous players failing to live up to the hype surrounding them.
But Durant’s doubts were quickly resolved when he played against Luka and realized the Dallas Mavericks had finally found their franchise cornerstone. Moreover, he was convinced that Doncic would go on to make history as he has been doing.
Over a short five-year span, Luka Doncic has already tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest scoring game in NBA history with 73 points. He also set another record while scoring those 73 points for having the most efficient 70-point game in history.
Doncic shot 75.8% from the field, 93.8% from the free throw line, and 61.5% from beyond the arc, leading to an effective field goal percentage of 87.9%. Doncic also set a new franchise high in the very same game. The Slovenian phenom was able to set three new records for himself in just one night which just goes to prove that KD was right.
The mutual respect between Kevin Durant-Luka Doncic
Even though the two players indulge in battle every time they step on the court, Kevin Durant still has a lot of praise for the 24-year-old point guard. KD after the Phoenix Suns’ 113-123 loss to the Dallas Mavericks said,
“He’s(Doncic) advanced, bright, brilliant basketball mind that could almost manipulate everything out there on the court. The IQ is just through the roof. I mean, at that age, 23, 24? I feel like he’s mastered the game.”
Doncic had 41 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals in his recent win over the Suns. The four-time All-Star shot 51.9% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc as he rallied his team past Phoenix.
Kevin Durant is not the only one who holds Luka Doncic in such high regard. The 6’7 guard has mutual respect and admiration for KD’s game as well, claiming Durant is his favorite player to watch and also play against.
There is no doubt that Doncic is special and will go on to do more ‘historic sh*t’ as seasons go by. If the Mavericks can keep a core group together around him, the franchise has a good chance of winning at least one or even two NBA titles during Doncic’s tenure in the league.
