Mark Cuban believes Luka Doncic is much further along in his development at the same stage of his career as LeBron James.
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Doncic entered the NBA as one of the most qualified rookies in league history. He was coming off an MVP season in the Euroleague – he also won Finals MVP for Real Madrid. The 19-year-old made his mark on the NBA almost immediately.
Doncic cantered to the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. He finished 4th in the MVP race last year as a sophomore, with averages of 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game. He upped the ante in the playoffs to average 31 points against the elite defense of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
The sky is the limit for Luka, who many believe is on a trajectory towards GOAT contention if he can steer clear of injuries.
Mark Cuban explains differences between young LeBron James and Luka Doncic
Appearing on First Take, Mark Cuban explained how LeBron and Luka are 2 different beasts of basketball:
“LeBron and Luka are not really comparable. You know, LeBron came into the league as an athlete first and really improved his basketball IQ from there. Luka is basketball IQ, strength, angles, he doesn’t really try to outrun you. He’s completely different.”
“I think LeBron came in, took over games. He was just that guy, he didn’t have a lot of good players and had to take over everything. Luka makes everybody on the court better. I think Luka is a little bit ahead of where LeBron was in terms of improving his teammates.”
LeBron and Luka face off today for Christmas Day festivities. James has the chance to become the all-time topscorer in Christmas Day games.
