Luka Doncic places career nights in Mavericks win against Bucks

Two years ago, Luka Doncic entered the NBA and immediately started making anyone who doubted his ceiling foolish.

By next June, he was the NBA Rookie of the Year and by February of that year, he was the all-time leader of his team in triple-doubles. On Saturday, he averaged 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in his short career. It should not be controversial to say that these are the numbers of a superstar, and that Doncic is already one of the 10 (maybe five?) Best basketball players on Earth.

And yet, looking at Doncic, it’s starting to feel like we’re only looking at the first phase of a multistage rocket in the direction of the status of the inner circle Hall of Fame. That was probably true before the NBA was placed on forced hiatus, but it was never more evident than on Saturday against the team with the best record in basketball.

Luka Doncic was the best player on the court in a game with Giannis Antetokounmpo

Here’s a game in the final minutes of the Mavericks’ win on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the team with the best record in basketball.

Let’s slow that down, and improve.

That right there is a left-handed pass between the legs of Defensive Player of the Year finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo with one minute left in overtime to seal a win over the team with the best record in basketball. And the person who does it is 21 years old.

The Ringer’s Zach Kram, no player has ever placed that many points, rebounds and assists in a game. Not LeBron James. Neither Russell Westbrook, nor Magic Johnson, nor Oscar Robertson. “Data-reactid =” 31 “> Doncic finished the game with 36 points on 12-of-24 shots, 19 assists, 14 rebounds and just two innings. The Ringer’s Zach Kram, no player has ever placed that many points, rebounds and assists in a game. Not LeBron James. Neither Russell Westbrook, nor Magic Johnson, nor Oscar Robertson.

And that – which in fact came against and by far the best defense in basketball – was just more of the same of what Doncic has done since landing in Orlando. In the Mavs’ four bubble games, Doncic now averages 33.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.6 assists per game.

Currently, Doncic is second in the NBA in assists at 45.6 percent, behind only LeBron James. His Mavericks have the most efficient offense in NBA history with a score of 115.8, on a team in which the third leading score is Tim Hardaway Jr. The stream of assists on the team basically looks like this:

Again, just 21 years old.

By stepping back and taking a deep breath, it’s hard not to look at the whole Doncic – the court vision, the size, the sheer number of ways he can break a defense, the age – and the potential star of a generation to look.

Doncic does LeBron James things at 21 years old, the youngest person to do so since, well, LeBron James. Imagine what could happen if the Mavericks figure out how to upgrade their supporting cast, and possibly add a third star to play off Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

The Western Conference is apparently not looking forward to that day.

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