Luka Doncic – Where Does He Rank?
Luka Doncic is lighting up the NBA this year. But where does the 21-year-old rank among the greats in the league? Top 15? Top 10? Vendetta writers put forward their opinions on where they would rank Doncic.
Vendetta Weighs in on Luka Doncic
Trey Daubert
When you’re talking about a player that’s young and continuing to grow at a rapid pace like Luka Doncic, this answer obviously changes by the day. At this current moment, I feel like you can safely put Luka inside the top 20 and I would personally put him inside the top 10. I know that seems a big reach but we’re talking about a player averaging 29.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game. Doncic has proven he’s an elite scorer and passer. It’s only a matter of time until his shooting percentages climb too.
Luka has led the Mavs to a playoff spot with little talent on the roster outside of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway. You’re starting a franchise today, realistically how many players are you taking over Doncic? You can very easily make the claim you start a redraft with him as the first pick. The scary part is he’s doing all this at the age of 21. It’s not a stretch to say Doncic could be the face of the league. For now he’s in the top 10 and that’s far from his ceiling.
Alex Chick
It’s hard to rank young players or players with a small sample size. Yes, by now Luka Doncic has played two full seasons and is entering his first playoffs. There’s no doubt that Luka has serious upside. I’m just not sure what his ceiling is or how long can he play like this. Remember, Hassan Whiteside was thought as one of the best centers in the NBA only a couple years ago.
At this time, Luka is undoubtedly a top 20 player. Hell, I’d even say he’s safe in the top 15. I’m not sure if I can put him in the top 10…yet. It seems almost inevitable that he will be. So, if I put him outside the top 10, it won’t be for long. He’s going to the playoffs and can easily put himself in the top 10 with how he performs in the playoffs. He’ll be playing the Clippers, and if he plays well and maybe steals two games from them, that might be enough for me to put him top 10. For now, just to be safe, he’s top 15, but he’s closer to 10 than 15 for sure.
Jackson Law
I’m leaning towards putting Doncic in the top 10. His shooting numbers don’t look that great, but he takes a high volume of shots, so you can’t fully trust the numbers. Doncic has made great strides as a playmaker and passer, only adding to his value for the Mavericks. It’s hard to say exactly where he fits among top NBA players with two former MVPs, Curry and Durant, both out this past season. Without a doubt, Doncic is in the top 15, but I wouldn’t argue with anyone that wants to put him in the top 10. If he’s not top 10 this year, he definitely will be next year. Hell, he may crack the top 5 very soon.
Karl Heiser
I approached this question by thinking of players who are indisputably above Luka Doncic in the player rankings. I would definitely put Giannis, LeBron, healthy Durant, healthy Curry, Harden, and Lillard above Luka right now. These guys are generational talents who can take over a game better than Doncic can, at least at the moment. You might notice Kawhi isn’t on that list. My hot take there is that I would rather have 75 games of Luka than 55 games of Kawhi. The whole load management thing just doesn’t sit right with me. Don’t bail on your team.
Back to Luka. No other 21-year-old kid is giving us 30-point triple-doubles night in and night out. There’s a whole narrative about “waiting your turn” to be called an MVP or top 5 player. Nonsense. He’s a superstar now, respect him now. Within a few years, he might be the face of the league. Anway, I think Doncic is safely in the top 10, and I thinks that’s fair based on how he impacts any game he plays in.
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