Luka Doncic has been the talk of the basketball world thanks to his impressive showcase in the ongoing postseason. Jamal Crawford was only the latest esteemed personality to shower the Slovenian with lofty praise for the Dallas Mavericks’ success in the 2024 NBA playoffs. By calling Doncic a “gangster” and a “dog”, Crawford joins a long list of analysts and enthusiasts to be impressed by the 25-year-old. During an episode of All the Smoke, he said,
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“Luka is a gangster. And I mean that in the most respectful way possible. Luka is really like that. These guys will tell you, we know in the league there are some real dogs and then there are dogs who are more like puppies. Luka is a real dog. The bigger the moment, the bigger the play, the better Luka is. Even some greats don’t do that,”
Jamal Crawford also commented on Luka’s style of play. Insinuating that the player had effectively shut himself off from the world’s rhythm went on,
“He’s different. He’s playing like he has headphones on. You can’t speed him up, he’s out there doing his thing. His pace makes you go at his pace and then he just dissects you. He’s something different,” Crawford concluded.
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Luka Doncic’s slow pace was initially seen as a weakness of his when he first entered the league. However, with the success that he has seen since, and especially in this postseason, it is a strength unlike any other. And as one might expect, due to it, the praises have just kept on rolling in.
Other individuals who have praised Luka Doncic
Apart from winning the scoring title for his 33.9 points per game regular season, Luka Doncic has also led the Dallas Mavericks to their first Finals appearance in 13 years. Consequently, Luka has been praised by numerous individuals from the NBA fraternity.
Sam Mitchell, the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2007, seemed ecstatic while talking about Doncic’s 2023-2024 campaign. Apart from dubbing the five-time All-NBA player as the best in the league, Mitchell also claimed that the former should’ve won his first MVP trophy this year.
Mitchell said, “Right now Luka Doncic, the way he’s playing, he’s the best player in the league right now. If we have to revote and you get a vote—if you had to recast your vote right now, based on just the playoffs…If you had to recast your vote right now, who would it be?”
Charles Barkley even made it to the headlines for his remarks regarding the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo. The NBA legend didn’t mince his words, commending the two for being among the greatest backcourt pairing ever.
“As a guard, a Michael, a Kobe… You can’t stop great one-on-one players. Because you can make them take tough shots, they’re going to get the shots they want. Kyrie and Luka are going to get the shots they want… You can make them work hard, but they’re going to get a shot every time,” Barkley boldly said on Inside the NBA.
Stephen A. Smith, a pundit who isn’t easily impressed, has been going gaga over Luka’s performance all postseason long. However, SAS seemed to be blown away by Doncic’s “unforgettable” 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.4 assists display during the Western Conference Finals.
While the entire world continues to commend Luka Doncic, he will likely be unsatisfied until he completes the ultimate goal – winning the NBA Championship.
To lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in his career, Doncic has a big obstacle (the Boston Celtics) to overcome. But with the form that he’s been in, the Mavericks will fancy their chances, provided that the remaining players make significant contributions to help their leader.
