Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is a generational talent. He’s put up an historic start to his career. He’ll end up being an all-time great.
Doncic is also a mere 24 years old and has not yet earned a trip to the NBA Finals. Just don’t tell that to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who absolutely gushed all over his star guard in recent appearance on 97.1 The Freak in Dallas.
How far did Kidd take his admiration for Doncic? He already believes that the All-Star is the greatest player in Mavericks history, surpassing Dirk Nowitzki in the process. He’s also comparing Doncic to GOATs Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
“He’s better than Dirk. He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]. And so, just to appreciate what this young man’s doing at the age of 24, [it] is something that Dallas has never seen. I’ve said this internally: He is better than Dirk. He does things that Dirk could never do, and now is the opportunity of getting the right people around him to ultimately win a championship.”
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic
Kidd’s comments come days after Doncic dropped 73 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks Friday evening. All said, Doncic is averaging a whopping 39.1 points with 9.6 rebounds and 10.0 assists over the past nine games.
But this certainly feels a lot like recency bias.
Kidd was Dirk’s teammate with the Mavericks during their run to the NBA title in 2010-11. It represented Nowitzki’s first and only championship during a brilliant 21-year run with the Mavs in which he finished with 14 All-Star appearances and as the league’s fifth-leading scorer ever.
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Luka Doncic stats (2023-24): 34.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 9.6 APG, 49% shooting
As you can see, Doncic is in the midst of one of the greatest statistical seasons of all-time. But already comparing him to six-time NBA Finals MVP Michael Jordan, the NBA’s leading all-time scorer in LeBron James and the great Kobe Bryant seems to be overkill.
We have no problem with Kidd going to bat for his star player. But hold your horses with these comparisons while enjoying what has been an epic ride.