Luka Doncic has been tipped to succeed as an NBA superstar just like Michael Jordan for quite some time now. A fellow Mavs player was the first to make this comparison.
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Doncic is one of the most prodigious talents in basketball, and has been so for years. The 24-year-old is one of the deadliest offensive players in league history already.
Doncic was heralded as a generational talent when he first made his mark on European basketball. As an 18-year-old, the Slovenian was awarded the Euroleague’s MVP trophy. He cemented that with a Final Four MVP trophy while leading Real Madrid to the championship.
Despite these achievements at his young age, a few NBA ‘experts’ doubted how his game would translate. As a result, his pre-draft standing showed him below 2 American centers – even though the league is no longer a big man’s league.
In 5 years since then, Doncic has become an All-NBA First Team fixture, earning 3 consecutive appearances from 2020-2022 during his rookie deal. If he keeps this level of play up, he’s due for a 4th straight selection.
Derek Harper compared Luka Doncic to Michael Jordan in 2020
Derek Harper was one of the first players to be associated indelibly with the Mavericks franchise. He played for the team for 10 seasons before being traded to the Knicks.
Having played in the 80s, Harper was responsible for guarding prime Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Even so, he did not hesitate to put Luka Doncic alongside them in just his second season. In his words:
“I’ve played against Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson… Luka is right in the same breath. He loves to compete. [Doncic] doesn’t back down. People are going to come at you when you’re getting the kind of hype that Luka is getting, he doesn’t go anywhere.”
“I know people think you’re crazy. He’s right there with the best players ever to play, bar none, in my opinion… I’ve just never seen a guy that makes the game so doggone easy when he’s out on the floor.”
Also Read – Not Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, but Luka Doncic is the 2nd youngest ever to achieve this!
Can Doncic emulate MJ’s legacy?
As far as talent and skill levels go, one would be hard-pressed to find a better offensive player than Doncic. The Slovenian is 2nd all-time in playoff points per game – just behind His Airness.
However, given the gap in athleticism between Doncic and phenoms like MJ and LeBron, he falls a good deal behind other GOAT candidates in that department.
Championship success is also an important factor in determining an all-time great legacy. Doncic needs to win at least 4 championships like LeBron to establish his place in that debate.
