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LeBron James vs Luka Doncic – Present Dominance vs Future Greatness

Since LeBron James’s induction into the NBA in 2003, basketball has undergone a paradigm shift that has seen inside play almost totally abandoned in order to make way for an abundance of 3-point shots; made dominant by Stephen Curry and the 2016 Golden State Warriors. Even in these changing times, LeBron James has still maintained his position at the front of the pack within every MVP conversation and most NBA Championship campaigns. There is no question that LeBron James is the player of his generation and is without a doubt one of the best players to ever grace an NBA hardcourt. The real question is, who is next? No King’s reign is eternal, and it will soon be time for James to surrender his spot on the mountain top, and in the eyes of many his replacement could not be clearer; 21-year-old, Slovenian superstar, Luka Doncic. 

Within their first 2 seasons in the NBA, James and Doncic are extremely comparable on paper. 

As an 18-year-old rookie, James entered the league surrounded by hype only comparable to NBA legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and was quick to make an impression; winning Rookie of the Year (2004-2005) and narrowly missing out on the playoffs whilst leading a struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. Doncic entered the league in a similar fashion, beginning his professional career at the age of 16 with EuroLeague powerhouse Real Madrid. During his rise to a EuroLeague MVP season in 2017, he attracted the attention of most NBA teams in need of a young superstar and was drafted with the 3rd pick to the Atlanta Hawks; later being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Despite being drafted to a non-contender, Doncic still was able to produce a season worthy of the Rookie of the Year award (2018-2019). These similarities continued into their second seasons, as both players saw increases in almost every significant statistical category (PPG, APG, RPG, etc); with Doncic leading his team to the 7th seed in a highly competitive western conference. 

 

Fortunately, this is where the similarity between these players start to stop and their playstyles begin to diverge. Whilst James possesses one of the most athletic figures in all of sports, Doncic possesses the ability to score from anywhere on the floor; regardless of defense or time on the clock. Although James has developed this ability over the course of a 17-year career, it is rare for a player such as Doncic to become one of the league's ultimate scorers and one of the best all-around players in just his second year in the NBA. 

 

Now, just to make it clear, this article is not stating that Doncic has already surpassed LeBron; nor does it state that he will in the future. However, what it does showcase is the incredible talent that Luka Doncic is becoming and is hopefully a talent that will continually grow at the same rate as the great LeBron James. As a generation, we have been spoiled with being able to watch the growth and sheer dominance of one of the greatest players of all time; watching him win titles for three different cities and breaking through milestone after milestone. Unfortunately, this great journey is coming to an end, but this is not a time for sadness or despair. With Luka Doncic, the next 20 years of the NBA are in the hands of forthcoming greatness, and it is only a matter of time before the Prince of the NBA is finally coronated and his journey to the Hall of Fame can really begin. 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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