Yet at just 25 years old, Dallas Mavericks combo point guard Luka Doncic has already become one of the best players in the league. NBA.
A five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA First Team member, Doncic has taken a big step forward in the 2023-24 season.
Alongside eight-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, the 2.03-m superstar guided Dallas to Doncic’s first-ever title. NBA The Mavericks advanced to the Finals after being technical underdogs in all three Western Conference playoff games. Dallas defeated the No. 4 seed LA Clippers, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, and the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves en route to their first Finals appearance since winning the series in 2011. This year, the Mavericks were not as fortunate. Dallas lost in five games to the Boston Celtics, who won their record 18th Finals. NBA title with the series victory in June.
Doncic became the league’s leading scorer for the first time last season, averaging 33.9 points and shooting .487/.382/.786 in 70 games. He was also pretty close to a triple-double, as he also dished out 9.8 assists per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. He also recorded 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
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Doncic is clearly one of the best players in the modern game.
Surprisingly, however, former five-time Los Angeles Lakers swingman Michael Cooper revealed in a recent episode of his Showtime Podcast that he would consider releasing Doncic — if he didn’t boast about his goal-scoring prowess, that is.
“Luka gives you that triple-double almost every night, but he’s too slow for me,” Cooper said. “If he wasn’t a scorer, I’d cut him. I give him credit for that, but to me, he’s lazy. He doesn’t rush on defense.”
Saying, “If Luka Doncic wasn’t a scorer, I’d fire him” is like saying, “If Michael Cooper wasn’t the best defender of the year, I’d fire him.” Doncic, along with Irving, Phoenix Suns All-Star power forward Kevin Durant and Denver Nuggets MVP center Nikola Jokic, is one of the best scorers and most complete offensive forces in modern basketball.
Sure, he’s a sieve on the other end of the floor, which was the primary concern for Cooper, an eight-time All-Defensive Teamer. A key contributor on the wing for Los Angeles from 1978-90, the 2.01-m New Mexico product was also, as this reporter has previously noted, the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year.
Doncic may not have the elite fitness and defensive grit that defined Cooper’s game, but as one of the best ball-handlers in the game, Cooper, currently the head coach at Cal State LA, could surely let that slide.
Cooper averaged a modest 8.9 points on 46.9 percent shooting and 83.3 percent free throws, along with 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Despite those meager numbers, he was a key contributor to the “Showtime” Lakers, led by Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.
Cooper will now join fellow Los Angeles role player Jamaal Wilkes in Springfield, where he is expected to be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame.
