According to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, there is only one player in the NBA better than the Dallas Mavericks‘ Luka Doncic, and that is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Still, praise for the Slovenian superstar has been palpable across NBA media circles, and for good reason.
It makes sense to have Doncic as high as they do, considering his accomplishments not just from last year, but in the last six seasons – from Rookie of the Year to five straight all-NBA First-Team nods, he has been the elite of the elite essentially since he first stepped onto a basketball court in the United States. Not only did he lead Dallas to the NBA Finals last season, but also the Western Conference Finals in 2022 with a much weaker supporting cast before losing to Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
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Last season for Doncic was extremely impressive, though – in 2023-24, Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds, nearly putting up a triple-double every night while finishing as the NBA scoring champion. His wizardry was the driving factor behind Dallas’ trip to the Finals this past season, and he’s getting the recognition he deserves.
Players after Jokic and Doncic on the list were the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo at three, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum at four, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at five, with an honorable mention list of a few players as well: the aforementioned Steph Curry, Spurs second-year player Victor Wembanyama, Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Sixer and former MVP Joel Embiid, Suns star Kevin Durant, former Maverick and current New York Knick Jalen Brunson, Hall of Famer and Laker LeBron James, and Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant.
Still, Doncic sits near the top of the list, and with the team he has around him, his success is likely to continue at a high level, even if his scoring numbers dip due to the acquisition of Klay Thompson, he will make up for it with a bump in assist numbers.
Doncic truly is one of the best leading men in the NBA, and hopefully for Mavericks fans, this continues on into his next season.
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