Have we been underrating Luka?

HotRocks34 · Post #1 » by **HotRocks34** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:27 am

* 73-point game

* 60/20 triple double

* 5 straight 1st-team All-NBA selections by age 25 (counting this year)

* Only 2nd player in NBA history to have 5 career 27/8/8 seasons (Oscar) (counting this year)

* Only 2nd player in NBA history to have a 32/8/8 season (Jordan)

* On pace to be the first player in NBA history to have a 33/9/9 season

* On pace for the most (PPG + RPG + APG) in a season since ABA merger in 1976
..........he's slightly above Russ' MVP season mark

* 9th in career regular season triple doubles (1 behind Harden, who is 9 years older)

* Led his team to the WCF at age 23 by beating a 64-win PHX team

* EuroLeague champion

* EuroLeague MVP

Is Luka getting enough flowers for what he's accomplished so far in his career?

Post #2 » by **Jakay** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:30 am

Hopefully at some point he will be recognized as an above average player.

Cavsfansince84 · Post #3 » by **Cavsfansince84** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:30 am

I think a lot of people are just waiting for him to do a bit more in the postseason. I've been high on him since before he came into the league relative to most people but you can't crown him the best player without him doing more in the postseason or even 2nd best since Giannis is a way better defender with a fmvp and 2mvps under his belt. Personally I think he's a bit better than Embiid. People are also skeptical of him being an uber helio and whether that is a real recipe for success but MJ had the same criticism until he won rings.

JustBuzzin · Post #4 » by **JustBuzzin** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:32 am

Luka Da Don!

MrGoat · Post #5 » by **MrGoat** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:41 am

Uh, yeah. Jokic is only getting MVP consideration because his paltry 26.4 PPG and 9.0 APG averages are done as a center and his team has been good this year too, but at least he's winning on rebounds because he's taller and fatter and mostly only works in the paint. Luka has had a truly historic season in total points created, even more than D'Antoni Harden, even though his usage is even down from last season when Giannis led the league in usage but yeah the usage hate argument is still popular, too. Hell, even last time I saw Jokic in an interview even he thought Luka was MVP and they just dismissed him because they thought he was being humble, but it's not like he didn't name a specific player

Jasen777 · Post #6 » by **Jasen777** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:43 am

Pretty much a consensus top 5 player right? I'd say he's rated about right.

ChipotleWest · Post #7 » by **ChipotleWest** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:45 am

Yes and it's ridiculous the notion that he hasn't won anything when he hasn't been on any contending teams until now which is even arguable as they're far from the favorites. Just thinking an often injured Porzingis makes your team a contender when he couldn't do it anywhere else, not to mention Luka was 22 when he left Dallas is a joke especially when you look at who they were playing with, Brunson wasn't ready then he was only averaging 8 ppg. Porzingis has won nothing and had to be a 4th wheel before he was on any contending team. He also came up small in the second series against the Clippers only averaging 13 ppg which Luka was averaging 35 at 21 years old.

Then with him and Brunson two point guards and a bunch of meh players they beat #1 Phoenix and go to the WCF. Their bigs were Maxi Dwight Powell and Bertans.

This was the roster a year ago before they traded for Kyrie.

And Kyrie only played 20 games last year in a Mavs uniform when they missed the playoffs.

Wolveswin · Post #8 » by **Wolveswin** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:48 am

Really too bad Mavs struck out with Porzingis being the Pippen to Doncic. Irving doesn’t seem like that role either. If Mavs could just build a playoff juggernaut Doncic could approach GOAT level over totality of his career.

Post #9 » by **Mavrelous** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:48 am

Add to that:
Eurobasket champion
2nd in all time PO PPG behind MJ, only player to knock MJ off the top of that list for few days.

I don't think he's underrated though, he's below Jokic among active players in their prime, and he's seen in the same tier of Giannis and Embiid.
Some people will claim he's not in their tier because of defense, these people are wrong.

NZB2323 · Post #10 » by **NZB2323** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:49 am

He’ll finish top 3 in MVP voting, and people voting him for 1st all NBA team is them giving him flowers.

The top 75 team was announced at the beginning of the 2022 season. If we redo the list he probably makes it.

NZB2323 · Post #11 » by **NZB2323** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:50 am

Wolveswin wrote:Really too bad Mavs struck out with Porzingis being the Pippen to Doncic. Irving doesn’t seem like that role either. If Mavs could just build a playoff juggernaut Doncic could approach GOAT level over totality of his career.

Irving has been great with Luka this year.

ChipotleWest · Post #12 » by **ChipotleWest** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:57 am

Wolveswin wrote:Really too bad Mavs struck out with Porzingis being the Pippen to Doncic. Irving doesn’t seem like that role either. If Mavs could just build a playoff juggernaut Doncic could approach GOAT level over totality of his career.

You understand they've won 15 out of 17 games at this moment, correct? I think this was just a sarcastic post anyway saying Luka needs more help than others to win, which it's total fiction.

Post #13 » by **Duke4life831** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:58 am

I’d say the only slight to him was not being named on the 75 team. Either than that I think he is viewed pretty accurately.

On his way to 5 straight 1st team All NBA selections. Is probably one of the most talked about players. Really the only thing he’s lacking is a championship and MVPs.

And the lack of MVPs really just comes down to 2 things. He’s playing in the prime of other top 15 all time kind of talent. And those guys are just winning more games.

Jokic won his 2nd MVP when Denver was a 6th seed all because the gap between him and everyone else that year was just too massive to overlook. Luka hasn’t had a season like that yet where his play is just so far above everyone else’s that despite not being a top 3 seed, you still just have to give him the MVP.

I think Luka is pretty much universally viewed in that Jokic/Embiid/Giannis tier. Those are the top 4 guys. Those 4 can just do things that no one else in the league can.

Maverick41 · Post #14 » by **Maverick41** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:02 am

I don't think "we" as in realgm has been underrating Luka. It's pretty much a consensus here that he's at least a top 5 player. The national media on the otherhand, absolutely is. Heck we have had some major network voters not even vote him in for ANY of the All NBA teams last year. Not even 3rd team all NBA. Speaks volumes.

NyKnicks1714 · Post #15 » by **NyKnicks1714** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:09 am

No? He'll be 2nd in MVP voting where he belongs, All-NBA 1st team where he belongs. He's one of the most praised and talked about players in the league, as he should be. Where is the underrating happening?

Wolveswin · Post #16 » by **Wolveswin** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:12 am

ChipotleWest wrote:
Wolveswin wrote:Really too bad Mavs struck out with Porzingis being the Pippen to Doncic. Irving doesn’t seem like that role either. If Mavs could just build a playoff juggernaut Doncic could approach GOAT level over totality of his career.

You understand they've won 15 out of 17 games at this moment, correct? I think this was just a sarcastic post anyway saying Luka needs more help than others to win, which it's total fiction.

Not fiction. Luka hasn’t won anything. Luka’s bar - as my post exactly suggests - is in rare GOAT stratosphere. He needs more help to hit that bar.

CIN-C-STAR · Post #17 » by **CIN-C-STAR** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:19 am

For me he's on Tier 1 with Jokic & Giannis, two MVPs and champions, so I'd say that's a pretty big honor and about as high as you can reasonably put a young player that hasn't won MVP or made a Finals yet.

Yuri36 · Post #18 » by **Yuri36** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:20 am

Duke4life831 wrote:I’d say the only slight to him was not being named on the 75 team. Either than that I think he is viewed pretty accurately.

On his way to 5 straight 1st team All NBA selections. Is probably one of the most talked about players. Really the only thing he’s lacking is a championship and MVPs.

And the lack of MVPs really just comes down to 2 things. He’s playing in the prime of other top 15 all time kind of talent. And those guys are just winning more games.

Jokic won his 2nd MVP when Denver was a 6th seed all because the gap between him and everyone else that year was just too massive to overlook. Luka hasn’t had a season like that yet where his play is just so far above everyone else’s that despite not being a top 3 seed, you still just have to give him the MVP.

I think Luka is pretty much universally viewed in that Jokic/Embiid/Giannis tier. Those are the top 4 guys. Those 4 can just do things that no one else in the league can.

Well just look and hear how he's been rated by most of fans and medias for the MVP race despite having one of the best ever season at least statistically (and with his team for the last 2/3 months, they've basically been the best team in NBA along with Celtics during that span) and go to tell me with a straight face that he's been rated like he and his season deserve to be rated.

Handlez · Post #19 » by **Handlez** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:29 am

NyKnicks1714 · Post #20 » by **NyKnicks1714** » Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:32 am

Yuri36 wrote:Well just look and hear how he's been rated by most of fans and medias for the MVP race despite having one of the best ever season at least statistically (and with his team for the last 2/3 months, they've basically been the best team in NBA along with Celtics during that span) and go to tell me stretch that he's been rated like he and his season deserves to be rated.

He's been rated like he and his season deserve to be rated. Do you think it's some travesty that he'll be 2nd in the MVP race?