-
Tim McMahon, ESPN staff writer
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has made the case that All-Star guard Luka Doncic is the best player in franchise history.
In fact, Kidd’s statement goes further than saying Doncic has surpassed Dirk Nowitzki as the best player to ever wear a Mavericks uniform. Kidd declared on “The Downbeat” on Dallas radio station 97.1 The Freak on Tuesday that the 24-year-old Doncic belongs on a short list of the greatest players in NBA history alongside Michael Jordan and other players.
“He’s better than Dirk,” said Kidd, a Hall of Famer who was teammates with Nowitzki on the Mavericks’ 2010-11 championship team. “He’s in a Jordan atmosphere, the best player of all time, LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant). So, just to appreciate what this young man is doing at 24 years old, (it’s) What Dallas has has never been seen before. I said it in my heart: He is better than Dirk. He did things that Dirk could never do, and now is the chance to put the right people around him to finally win a championship. “
Kidd’s bold comments come after Doncic’s historic three-game winning streak, when Doncic scored 73 points in Friday’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the first time since Kobe Bryant’s epic 81-point performance The league’s highest scoring performance of the night.
Doncic is averaging 48.7 points and 13.0 assists in three of four games, and is averaging 79.7 points per game. According to research from ESPN Stats & Information, only Wilt Chamberlain has scored more points in three games in NBA history, averaging 82 and 81 points respectively in three overlapping games in 1962.
Doncic became the first player to average a 50-point triple-double in two games. After a 73-point, 10-rebound, and 7-assist performance in Atlanta, Doncic lost at home the next night. Scored 28 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists in the game. Sacramento Kings. With Mavericks partner Kyrie Irving out with a sprained right thumb, Doncic only rested a total of five minutes in back-to-back games.
“I’m tired,” Doncic said after Saturday night’s game. “To be honest, I can’t wait to go to bed.”
Two nights later, Doncic accumulated enough energy to score 45 points, 9 rebounds and 15 assists in a reversal of the Orlando Magic. He became the first player in NBA history to score 45 points and 15 assists multiple times. His first appearance came on Christmas night, when Doncic scored 50 points and dished out 15 assists in a road win over the Phoenix Suns.
There is no doubt that Doncic, who has a 26-21 record with the Mavericks this season, is averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.6 assists per game, and his statistics are comparable to those of league legends.
However, Dallas hasn’t had much postseason success during the five-time All-Star’s career. Doncic ranked second in the playoffs with an average of 32.5 points per game, behind Jordan’s 33.4 points, but the Mavericks only advanced to the first round once under Doncic’s leadership and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022. Dallas didn’t qualify for the playoffs last year.
However, Kidd happily ranks Doncic as one of the best players of all time and predicts that his championship will come, noting that Jordan has yet to win a title at this stage of his career.
“This young man is 24 years old and is breaking every record in front of him,” Kidd said. “He’s a winner and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. He’s going to get there and not just win one championship, but when it’s all said and done, he’s going to win multiple championships.”