[joe2324Participant]

It is early, but Luka is insanely talented and the more I watch him, the more Larry Bird I see him and thats not because he is white. Its his aggressiveness, shooting, court awareness, passing that make me see a bit of Bird in him. The only thing holding him back is endurance. We don’t know how he will perform later in the season, but so far, the Mavs got a steal on this one. Trae Young is going to be awesome, but no where near the dominance of Luka in years to come.  

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Good comparison.  I think Bird was a bit taller. Luka is shorter but a bit bulkier, which could mean he is stronger. Neither is a speed demon or Olympic high jumper. Would be interesting to see who is longer. Luka has solid length it seems like.

At the very least, Luka is showing shades of Larry Bird.  

Although Luka’s all-around skill set could probably also be compared to Magic Johnson — a basketball savant with a flair for passing and create-first instincts.  

Either way, Luka gives the Mavs a Texas version of Showtime.

 

 

[The GoatParticipant]

 He has the step back 3 working early, kills in pick n roll too. Theres a bit of Bird there. A bit Steve Smith maybe? A hard one to find a match for. Detlef Schrempf? He’s a bit Dirk-ish on some jumpers, i looked twice. I didn’t realise his size initially.  

Sacramento would’ve been an interesting spot for him. Memphis too, they’d be a very tough beat.

What about the Dallas roster tho? DSJ is nice but I’m not sure he’s the right fit. Barnes and Jordan are also ok but only  if you want to keep the team in NBA purgatory during Luka’s first 5 years.

Id move DSJ while his value is high, maybe even tie him to DJ and take back an ugly contract if the locker room issues are as bad as rumoured.

Could you get John Wall for these two?

 

[GronounoursParticipant]

I see a smaller, lighter, better-shooting, better-passing, whiter, less back-to-the-basket, less athletic Shaq. Eerie resemblance really, if you think about it.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Good comparison. Kinda reminds me of a cross of Micheal Jordan and Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Everyones got their own opinions though.

[HitsterParticipant]

 Luka is looking good so far and I do see a bit of a younger Larry Bird’s game in him. Don’t forget that Larry was pushing 23 when he made his NBA debut and Luka is still only 19 plus Larry was in a powerhouse Boston team.

If Luka can be 75% as good as Larry was he’ll be a great pick.

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

While bird is obviously not a perfect direct comparison, I do see shades of bird in doncics play. If you watch highlights of bird you can see how he used ball fakes perhaps better than any other player in history and could see plays developing 2-3 steps in advance. Doncic clearly excels in those same skills. He also has some of that same moxy and flair for the game that bird possessed. While he doesnt quite have the physical profile of bird and plays a different style of game, they definitely share more than a few common characteristics. 

[r377Participant]

 Joe, you would of got -30 negs for compaing Doncic to Larry Bird last year.  Now that the Americans have seen him play its not too hard to believe…

I touched on it last year, with Bird and Manu Ginobilli

 

https://www.nbadraft.net/forum/luka-doncic-underrated

 

 

 

[BeastMode716Participant]

 Shooting better from 3pt Range than expected (39% in the NBA vs 33% in Euro) & he’s Better on Defense than expected & Luka’s stats are Very similar to Bird’s & Bird was 4 years Older as a Rookie than Luka (23 vs 19) 

But it’s just WAY too soon to compare Luka to Larry Legend. Bird was taller – listed at 6’9” but Bird seemed Bigger & Bird was deceptively strong – remember when Bird played Perimeter players where not protected like 2day – open hand fighting was permitted & Bird was a Power Forward – he was a Beast on the Boards but most of Bird so So God Damned MEAN – Bird grew up Poor & he Never lost that – For ALL of us who grew up Poor we see Life as a Fight & Bird saw Basketball as a FIGHT – Every min of Every game – Bird was a True Alpha Killer on that court – Bird Avg 20+ points 10+ Reb & 5+ assists from the moment he set foot in the NBA 

And most of people just do not understand how GREAT Larry Bird was Immediately & I say that as a Laker fan who grew up Hating Bird & I Still believe Magic is the GOAT 

But let me put in perspective how Truly GREAT Larry Bird really was. People Forget that Bird really Only played 8 Fully Healthy Seasons – before his SPine was Destroyed –  From 23 to 31 years old now get ready for your Mind to be BLOWN

In Bird’s first 8 years in the NBA he finished 1st or 2nd in League MVP Voting in 7 of those years! & in the ONE year he did Not finish 1st or 2d – he finished 3rd behind Magic & Michael Jordan! 

Let that Sink in

Bird’s ROOKIE year he finished 2nd behind Dr. J for MVP, in his 2nd & 3rd years Bird finished 2nd behind Moses Malone w/ Houston & then w/ Philadelphia. Bird then Won 3 MVP’s in a row. Then in Year 7 he finished 3rd behind Magic (1st) & Jordan (2nd); in year 8 he finished 2nd behind Jordan

After that Bird was still producive for a few more years but he suffered a dehabilitating Back injury that basically ended his Super Stardom at 31 but in those 8 years Bird had a Stretch of Dominance that can be put against ANY Super Star in NBA History! 

Battling ALL Time Great Sixers & Lakers teams Bird won 3 League MVP’s, took the Celtics to 7 Conf Finals, 5 Finals & won 3 NBA Titles, 2 Finals MVP’s –  all in Just 8 seasons & Magic who was 3 years Younger was Just as Dominant but Magic did it for 12 years before his career was Also cut short at 31 years old – 9 Finals in 12 seasons, 3 MVP awards, 5 NBA Titles, 2 Finals MVP’s 

So I don’t want to take Anything away from Doncic – he’s been remarkable at an unprecedented young age but in the modern NBA (1980 – present) Larry Bird is on Mount Rushmore w/ Magic, Michael & Lebron.

 To Drive home my point & to Really understand what Bird was about – Larry grinded out 4 post Peak seasons from 32 – 35 years old where team Doctors claim he could barely walk his spine was so out of whack & in those 4 seasons Bird AVG 22 pts 9 Reb & 7 Ast – shot 92% FT# 47% fg% 37% 3pt% & got to the Free Throw line 4X per game! Those are CRIPPLED Larry Bird Stats – over FOUR years – that’s a Career season for Most NBA players

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2quick4uParticipant]

I grew watching the 80’s NBA; Lakers Vs Celtics, Magic Vs Bird, and those are still my best memories about the game of basketball.. 

Even thought my favourite team were the Lakers and i idolized Magic i had so much respect for Bird and i admired him too.

Bird and Magic meant a lot more than just basketball for a whole generation and those of us he grew with them, we still look back at those days with an air of melancholy…

Like mentioned, Bird is an all time top 10 player, and if it wasn’t for injuries he could have been a top 5.

But nonetheless, if someone can be compared to that type of greatness, that is Luka Doncic.

Sure it’s early, but we cannot ignore that everything Luka has done for the moment is unprecedented not only in Europe, but in the history of the game of basketball at such an early age.

Like you’ve mentioned, Bird entered the league as a 23yo rookie while Luka is still 19.

At age 19, Bird had an "empty" year after withdrawing from Indiana university for felling trepidation about the size of the Hoosiers campus while Doncic had already won a Euroligue title and MVP, and at 19 still, he’s already put an NBA franchise on his back and has turned around a team that was meant to drown in the bottom of the league for many years.. not only that, but he’s already won not only the respect of every teammate and coach, being handed the keys of the team, but also the respect of the whole league.

Even more, at age 18, when Bird was still a HS senior, Doncic was leading his small country to a gold medal in Eurobasket and was named all tournament team…

So if we put in perspective Doncic’s accomplishments, we can say without fear that even this early, he’s won him self the right to be compared to the best white player of all time.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Bird if he’d played in modern era might have come into the NBA 3 or at least two years earlier. You just wonder how good guys like him or even those who had career shortened by injury such as Grant Hill or Ralph Smpson could have been if they’d played a few more earlier years in the NBA.

Is Hill any sort of a comparison for Luka as he springs to mind as one of the next great all round SFs after Larry Bird.

 

  

 

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