Shaq On Luka Doncic: “This Kid Is A Hell Of A Player”

Luka Doncic is not an ordinary rookie. Everyone who likes NBA knows that. We probably haven’t seen such a game-changing player coming in since LeBron James.

Yeah, that is right since LeBron.

Last night his Mavericks won against Pistons, 106-101, and the guy who needs to be credited the most is the youngster from Slovenia. In 35 minutes on the floor, Doncic posted 32 points and 8 rebounds and assists apiece.

The only two rookies with such a statistic after one game were Kevin Durant, and above mentioned King James whose done that twice.

#MFFL @luka7doncic stuffs the stat sheet with 32 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST in the @dallasmavs home W! #NBARooks pic.twitter.com/9Y9btcx6rb

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2019

“He’s not your typical rookie from Southeastern State University” coach Casey stated after the game last night.

He was referring to Doncic’s background in Europe, where he played many games for Real Madrid at a high level and against much older players than him. But he also meant on his talent and the vision he has on the court.

“He’s that good of a player, you know, just has a flair offensively, that he knows how to score, he knows where everybody is on the floor…”

When Dallas’ players didn’t have any solution, they would just pass the ball towards Doncic who would create something. Whether is that a step-back three, or a layup, or an assist (most of the times to DeAndre Jordan), he would sort things out.

When one of the reporters asked Blake Griffin what are his thoughts on the youngster, the five-time All-Star, took a deep breath and shook his head.

“Aaah, he’s great man. Unbelievable” Detroit’s power forward said.

The 19-year old guard is really something special, and everybody in the league knows it. He was the second in Western Conference when the All-Star vote ended, behind James, and yet, he is not in the starting lineup.

His name was in the center of the debate, and most of the fans and experts think that he should be in the starting lineup. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley agreed after the game with Detroit on that, and you know that these two guys rarely share the same opinion.

“This kid is a hell of a player. He’s very excited, All-Star weekend, we want excitement, we don’t want this guy just standing around.” Shaq told in his Tip-Off show.

Should Luka Doncic be an #NBAAllStar in his rookie season? Chuck and Shaq think so. pic.twitter.com/mQbX1ajNfV

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 25, 2019

Chares Barkley had the same opinion, saying that Doncic is by far the best rookie, and that he deserves to be in Charlotte.

“This kid is a runaway rookie of the year, and let me tell you something, I would put him in, he’s exciting” Sir Charles stated.

At the moment, Doncic is 19.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game with solid shooting percentages for a rookie, .481 for two and .356 from downtown. But what is more important is his influence on the play.

Doncic is the kind of player who can easily adapt to any circumstance on the floor If the opposite team plays fast, he can handle it, if they prefer a low-pace game, he knows that too. Pick and roll, inside play, post up, three-point, step back, assists, he has everything, a one package deal.

And what is most important the whole team plays better with him in charge. Last season Mavs had 24 wins and 58 losses. At the moment, they have only two triumphs fewer than during the whole previous campaign, and we barely saw half the season.

So there is a lot of room for his and Dallas’ improvement. Don’t be surprised if they clinch a playoff spot, even though it seems tough at the moment. We might see some trade and a new name on their roster which could upgrade their game.

Doncic is going to better and better, and he already indicated that he and Dallas are going to have high goals in the future.

And yes, he deserves a spot at the All-Star.