Luka Doncic has toyed with his competition 2 games into his debut Olympics sojourn. He provided a sumptuous no-look assist to Vlatko Cancar.
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It’s hard to nail Luka down to a single player comparison even 3 years into his NBA career. Many people love to compare him to the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, LeBron James and James Harden.
Given how all 4 of these are first-ballot Hall of Famers, it’s only a sign of heady praise to be compared to them. But looking at Luka on the basketball court, you can’t help but think that this guy truly is ‘built different’.
The man, to quote Ray Hudson on Lionel Messi has really begun making the ‘insane look like the routine’. He seems to be a law unto himself once he steps on that hardwood. He becomes that killer snake, a la Kobe Bryant, but with LeBron’s vision.
Luka might perhaps be the one and only player who could truly make these comparisons look dumb. The Mavs’ superstar is on a GOAT trajectory. You can only avoid that conversation for so long till it stares you right in the face.
Some of Doncic’s play over the course of 2021 has been so surreal that spectators are just lost for words. He truly is just that brilliant. And one such play came about in the 3rd quarter of their game against Japan yesterday.
“Luka Doncic looks bored”: Slovenian sensation dumps off sensational no-look pass to Vlatko Cancar
The Slovenian team shot out to an early lead over hosts Japan at the Olympics basketball tournament. They seemed to be running away with the game for much of the game, but only truly created separation in the 4th.
It came down to Luka’s teammates not being able to convert on the looks he generated for them. For 3 quarters, their shooting seemed to be off. But when it came down to finishing a highlight-reel pass off, Vlatko Cancar didn’t disappoint.
The foresight to watch defenders collapsing on him and the finesse to execute THAT no-look pass? And then the nonchalant look after executing it perfectly? It screams Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant in ways that old-school basketball fans can relate. Except for the fact that Luka is just 22 and has already got the world at his feet.
