SUMMARY
- The Mavericks recently lost to the Pistons in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's absence.
- Pistons head coach, Monty Williams compared Doncic to Magic Johnson.
Luka Doncic has had a brilliant season that might go down in history as one of the greatest runs. The 2023-24 season was filled with a couple of challenges, the Dallas Mavericks had to endure a few roster changes and deal with injuries. And at the beginning of the season, nobody seemed hopeful that the Mavericks would succeed under Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s partnership.
But things turned out otherwise as the Mavericks have won 50 games. Irving has been a positive force in the locker room and brings a lot of veteran experience for them to utilize in the post-season. The 2016 NBA Champion averaged 25.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game alongside Doncic, who has been running for MVP this season. The Mavericks are all set to meet the LA Clippers in the first round once the regular season concludes.
Monty Williams admits Luka Doncic worried him while coaching in the West
The Mavericks recently played against the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Center. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving did not suit up for the Mavericks, which ultimately led to a loss. Monty Williams took some time to share some words on Doncic’s outstanding season. He said, “You run different defenses at him and you know, you’re just hoping that he messes up. He’s just that good. So, I just think that he’s a unique player in that regard. He reminds me of Magic [Johnson] in that way.”
Monty Williams compares Luka Doncic to Magic Johnson:
“You run different defenses at him, you’re just hoping he messes up because he’s just that good… He reminds me of Magic in that way. Those guys are big and have great vision.”
(via @JoeyMistretta_) pic.twitter.com/97BR2l99Tn
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 13, 2024
Williams also said, “I’m not into that comparison thing but when you think of big guards who dominated like that, that’s probably one of the reasons I didn’t get a lot of sleep when I was in the West.” The Pistons head coach previously worked for the Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks were Phoenix’s biggest rivals during the playoffs. Dallas eliminated Phoenix in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Luka Doncic compared himself to Ben Simmons before getting drafted
Several experts of the game initially compared Luka Doncic to players like LeBron James and Larry Bird. Some even compared him to Magic Johnson, just like how Monty Williams did. The fact that Luka is averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists shows how incredibly versatile Doncic which is similar to Magic’s style of play. However, the 5x NBA All-Star believed he was worthy of being compared to a former No.1 overall pick.
Luka Doncic just put Dillon Brooks on SKATES 😳 pic.twitter.com/lacBKPSohW
— Jerico (@kyriemavs) April 7, 2024
Ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft, Doncic told Mina Kimes of ESPN, “I think we are, like, similar, you know? He can play point guard, he can play forward.” The person Doncic was referring to was Ben Simmons. Unfortunately, Simmons has spent most of his recent seasons dealing with injuries. He hasn’t lived up to the hype that once glorified his name. But now, Doncic is a true MVP candidate.