“There’s Still Daylight Between Prime James Harden and Luka Doncic”: NBA Reddit Debates Mavs Guard’s Abilities After Lakers Loss

Luka Doncic has been getting a lot of appreciation for what he has brought to the game of basketball since coming in as the 3^rd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, the MVP of that very year has been profoundly under criticism for his similar game to “Luka Magic” if not better.

Yes, we are talking about James Harden, the man who showed everything Doncic currently has to offer years earlier.

While Doncic gets celebrated in the NBA community for it, The Beard got snubbed for multiple MVP awards because it looked like stat-stuffing to the fans and most of the media.

Also read: “Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are 1-3”: NBA Twitter Goes Off on Mavs Duo After 108-111 Loss Against LeBron James & Co in Bizarre Turn of Events

After the Mavericks star failed to get his team a win on Sunday, NBA Reddit raised a question about how good the former Real Madrid sensation is in comparison to the 10x All-Star.

Luka Doncic might be getting unnecessary love because James Harden didn’t

Given it is still early to compare the 23-year-old to one of the game’s 75 greatest players of all time, Doncic has had some similar years to that of Harden. Perhaps that’s the reason why fans often compare the tremendous scorers, both of whom do a lot more than just scoring.

NBA Reddit got into it once again after Mavericks’ loss to the Lakers last night.

Is current Luka Doncic closer to prime James Harden in terms of ability or was Harden always underrated?
by u/EarthWarping in nba

When one says Luka is better than Harden, and that he would have made it to the Finals if not for the Warriors in 2022, that’s because of the recency bias.

How scary good was prime Harden?

You have got to remember that Harden-led Rockets had the better chance against the Warriors in 2015 and 2018 with the now-Sixers guard putting up as good numbers as Doncic.

Most would say Harden choked in some of the most important games in those Playoffs, I’d say it was just because the Warriors exactly knew how to deal with him.

To this day, it’s just Michael Jordan of the late 80s whose individual brilliance on the offense is comparable to that of James Harden of the latter part of the past decade. But we will have to keep in mind that Harden averaged over 37 points for a season while dishing out over 7 assists a game.

Also read: James Harden Once Made 4000% Return on Incredible 2014 Investment Just 3 Years Later

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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