The NBA has seen an influx of overseas talent over the years, with some leaving their stamp on the league. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is one player that has made such an impact. While his ball skills are undeniably great, not everyone actually believed he would develop into a superstar today.
One such person who underrated him during those early days of his career is basketball veteran James Johnson. The Indiana Pacers star recounted his initial skepticism about Luka Doncic in a recent interview on The OGs Show. He revealed this to former NBA star Udonis Haslem during their conversation.
You remember when we was playing with Dragon? Like when Dragic was out in Miami? He was telling them once he drafted, once they drafted Luka, he was like, ‘He’s going to be one of the best’. And I was like ‘Yeah right’… Once Rick put him at the one. That man went wild! Had like 4 Triple-Doubles in a row. I was like “Yo, your boy’s a maestro.
James Johnson said
James Johnson & Udonis Haslem on Luka Doncic:
“Goran [Dragic] was like, “He’s going to be one of the best” and I was like “Yeah right”… Once Rick put him at the one. That man went wild! Had like 4 Triple-Doubles in a row. I was like “Yo, your boy’s a maestro””
via @theOGsShow pic.twitter.com/MFVzutmsi7
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) September 11, 2024
According to him, Doncic was relatively unknown when he was drafted in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. However, former Slovenian basketball star Goran Dragic, nicknamed “The Dragon”, was already aware of his talent then. Johnson recalled when Dragic started to compare a young Doncic to him, which he simply dismissed at the time.
Furthermore, given that the Mavericks star was playing badly as a power forward then, Johnson saw the comparison with a rookie as outrageous. But his view finally changed when coach Rick Carlisle switched things up and played Doncic as a point guard. The rest, as they say, became history as the latter exploded in form and proved his doubters wrong. Even the veteran player himself was humbled by his immense talent.
Hall of Famer gives bold statement on Luka Doncic
Despite Luka Doncic becoming one of the best players in the league, some people still hold a different view. Recently, basketball Hall of Famer Michael Cooper made bold statements about the Slovenian star while playing the “Start, Bench, Cut” game.
Speaking on his podcast, Cooper chose to bench Doncic and then play teammates Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard instead. His reasoning for benching Luka Doncic was his perceived lack of hustle on defense.
Luka gives you that triple-double almost any night, but he’s too slow for me. If he wasn’t a scorer, I would cut him… To me, he is lazy, doesn’t hustle back on defense.
Michael Cooper said
Even though Doncic’s speed and defense are two of his most often-criticized attributes, the data says otherwise. When comparing Doncic and Lillard’s defensive statistics from the 2023-24 season, Doncic outperformed Lillard in every category. This included blocks, steals, defensive rating, defensive win shares, and defensive box plus/minus.
Regardless, Doncic would be eager for the season to begin so he can prove his doubters wrong once again. He will look to lead the Dallas Mavericks alongside new signing Klay Thompson on another run to the NBA Finals.
