As Luka Doncic turns 21, there’s no more denying the Dallas Mavericks’ superstardom status
How good has Luka Doncic been in his first season and a half in the NBA?
The Dallas Mavericks guard, who turns 21 on Friday, has all sorts of accomplishments that help clarify just how special the Slovenian savant has been.
Wednesday night in the Mavs win against the Spurs in San Antonio, Doncic recorded his 21st career triple-double. It’s his league-leading 13th this season.
The 21 triple-doubles are the most be a player before his 21st birthday. And it’s not even close. Consider this: The next six players on the list for most triple-doubles under 21 combine for a total of 21. That includes Magic Johnson (7), LeBron James (5), Lamar Odom (3) and Lonzo Ball, Chris Paul and Antoine Walker each with two.
The Mavs next game will be 7 p.m. Friday against the Heat in Miami.
With Wednesday’s 26-point, 10-rebound, 14-assist performance, Doncic tied Jason Kidd for the all-time franchise lead in triple-doubles. Kidd did it in 500 games. Doncic has played in only 119. His 305 3-pointers are the most ever for a player under 21, and only James had more 30-point games and averaged more points than Doncic’s 29 and 24.2 per game before his 21st birthday.
Lakers veteran Jared Dudley joined a growing list of players and coaches who have seen a legitimate comparison between Doncic and James, who is widely considered one of the top two or three players to ever play the game. He called Doncic the type of teammate who will “help you get paid.”
“I would love to play with Luka Doncic,” Dudley said on Zach Lowe’s ESPN podcast. “Luka is going to get star players to play with him. He has that LeBron quality, being one of the most unselfish superstar players. I would say now Luka is in that superstar category. I think he earned it this year. ”
His 13 triple-doubles this season are already tied for 19th most in a season. He has 23 games remaining to move up the list. He needs just two more to tie Michael Jordan’s career-best of 15 triple-doubles in a season.
“He’s not just a scorer, he’s a leader,” Spurs guard Lonnie Walker said. “He identified what our game plan was and took over. We tried to make Luka Doncic uncomfortable, but he’s a really great player.”
