SUMMARY
- Mark Cuban opines that Luka Doncic better than Dirk Nowitzki was.
- The statistics indicate that Doncic is a better scorer and facilitator compared to Nowitzki.
Mark Cuban recently generated quite a lot of reactions from the NBA community after claiming that Luka Doncic is a better player when compared to Dirk Nowitzki. To those who do not know, Cuban is a successful businessman and currently the owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
Cuban has been in charge of the Mavericks for almost 2 decades and has seen both Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic in action. Since Dirk spent his entire career with the Mavs while Doncic is only in the starting years of his own, one might wonder why Mark Cuban already claims that Luka is better than Dirk.
Mark Cuban claims that Luka Doncic has a more balanced playstyle than Dirk Nowitzki
Both Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki have quite a few similarities. The two of them have been or are franchise cornerstones for the Mavericks and are from Europe. They are also incredibly talented players that the league had not seen coming prior to them entering the league.
In terms of their actual playstyles, there is a fundamental difference. Dirk was primarily known as a scorer and acknowledged for his patented one-legged fadeaway shot. On the other hand, Luka has a wide arsenal at his disposal and is also known for his facilitating abilities. Mark Cuban kept this in mind while claiming that Doncic is the greatest Mavericks player of all time over Dirk.
“Yeah Dirk is going to disagree with me on this one but he is. The difference is you know Luka can control all aspects of the game. With Dirk, you had to get him the ball in his spot. He’s not going to bring the ball up and just attack and I think that’s the big difference and uum there’s no disrespect to either…”
Chandler Parsons: “Is [Luka Doncic] the greatest Mav of all time already?”
Mark Cuban: “Yeah, Dirk Nowitzki is gonna disagree with me, but he is. The difference is Luka can control all aspects of the game.” 🗣️
(via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/IJ8Ce428ZQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 17, 2024
Cuban continued, “They’re both top 10 or top 15 players of all time and so I think the bigger question is where will Luka rank all time and I don’t think there’s any question that he has the ability to be top 2 or top 3 all time.”
While the Mavs owner undoubtedly seems to be making a valid point when comparing their playstyles, fans are left wondering if the gap between Doncic and Nowitszki is as great as Mark Cuban believes it to be.
Comparing Doncic’s and Nowitzki’s stats and accomplishments
Luka Doncic is currently 24 years old and has averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists this season with the Mavs. He is also a contender to win the MVP award and is certainly one of the most impactful players in the modern NBA.
When Dirk Nowitzki was the same age, he averaged 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3 assists a game. Since Nowitzki is taller and plays on the inside frequently, his rebounding stats make sense. However, Luka is clearly the superior player in terms of scoring and facilitating.