Historic player most resembling Luka

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Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#1 » by durantbird » Mon Jun 7, 2021 9:26 am

Luka Doncic is a unique player, 2.01 m, great facilitator and scorer, with good to average floor spacing abilities, and good rebounding skills.

Who is the historic player that is the closest to Luka, considering both abilities and level of play?

Is it Magic? Maybe LeBron (if we consider him as a historic player)?

Do any other historic players come to mind expect these two?
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#2 » by 70sFan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 9:45 am

You won't find anyone like him. He's not nearly as good passer as Magic, but his scoring repertoire is bigger and he's more scoring-focused. He's not LeBron, because he relies on footwork and jumpshot because he's not as athletic as James. He's better ball-handler than Bird but he doesn't play off-ball. He has much more varied scoring game inside the three point line than Harden.

Luka is Luka and I can't think about anyone playing like him.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#3 » by HeartBreakKid » Mon Jun 7, 2021 9:51 am

He's not that similar to any goat candidates, but out of past historical players he has a good amount of things in common with Brandon Roy.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#4 » by Dupp » Mon Jun 7, 2021 10:49 am

The dude is harden. He’s not historical but that’s the players Luka is most like.

He’s strong and skilled and uses that to get to the basket. Crafty and has range. He plays an iso heavy style and can make great passes from the perimeter / pick n roll etc.

I mean he even said he modelled his game a lot like hardens.


He’s not really magic or bird, even though he possesses some of their skill or wow factor. He does have a lot of lebron similarities but with a better shooting and scoring way from the basketball arsenal. Same as harden.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#5 » by Amare_1_Knicks » Mon Jun 7, 2021 11:58 am

There are a lot of parallels between Luka and Harden, but Luka employs a much more improvisational style. As 70sfan mentioned, he has a wider array of shots from the mid-range compared to Harden and you can’t get a beat on what he’s going to do or where he’s trying to go. He’s also a very good post player, an element that’s nonexistent in Harden’s game, regardless of who’s on him.

Mark Jackson has said many times that Luka’s a mix of Magic and Bird — but I don’t think he’s in Magic’s league as a passer. A tremendous passer, to be sure, but there are levels to this, and he does have a few headscratchers (in terms of passes) per game.

He’s kind of his own thing.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#6 » by No-more-rings » Mon Jun 7, 2021 1:27 pm

Considering his size, maybe Rick Barry?
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#7 » by Ryoga Hibiki » Mon Jun 7, 2021 1:57 pm

James Harden and Paul Pierce hybrid
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#8 » by Hawk » Mon Jun 7, 2021 1:59 pm

I see him as Harden, with much worse FT's.

He doesn't remind me of anyone else.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#9 » by Jaivl » Mon Jun 7, 2021 2:01 pm

Harden, yeah. Don't say that to european fans, though!
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#10 » by 70sFan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 2:20 pm

No-more-rings wrote:Considering his size, maybe Rick Barry?

Barry was mostly off-ball player.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#11 » by Dr Positivity » Mon Jun 7, 2021 3:54 pm

I like the Pierce shout out though Doncic is better obviously. I threw out Kobe in the other thread.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#12 » by Goudelock » Mon Jun 7, 2021 4:02 pm

70sFan wrote:You won't find anyone like him. He's not nearly as good passer as Magic, but his scoring repertoire is bigger and he's more scoring-focused. He's not LeBron, because he relies on footwork and jumpshot because he's not as athletic as James. He's better ball-handler than Bird but he doesn't play off-ball. He has much more varied scoring game inside the three point line than Harden.

Luka is Luka and I can't think about anyone playing like him.


What about a bizarre mix of Kobe and Magic? Not as great of a passer as Magic but still a floor general who is as big as many PFs but still controls pace like a smaller guard. And Kobe (as an on-ball scorer) because he's comfortable taking any shot, even if sometimes they're stupid shots. Also has great footwork and knows how to use his strength like older Kobe when carving out space in the midrange.

BTW I'm not saying Luka Doncic is as good as those two combined, I'm just saying that he has lots of elements of both in his game.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#13 » by Max123 » Mon Jun 7, 2021 4:09 pm

People who’ve watched more Oscar Robertson: How does his game compare to Doncic?

Considering of course the vast amount of evolution the game has gone through since the 60s.


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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#14 » by Texas Chuck » Mon Jun 7, 2021 4:49 pm

He's too unique to just say Harden or whomever. Harden is clinical precision just spamming the same things over and over because he's spent time in his lab perfecting every element of his game. You know what's coming but you cannot stop it. Luka is much more lyrical. Much more improvisational.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#15 » by Alatan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 4:51 pm

Bigger Harden with a better mid range game.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#16 » by Dr Positivity » Mon Jun 7, 2021 4:58 pm

Max123 wrote:People who’ve watched more Oscar Robertson: How does his game compare to Doncic?

Considering of course the vast amount of evolution the game has gone through since the 60s.


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I think skillset wise it's not bad other than the natural 3pt evolution, but I always thought Oscar sounded like he had a lot of CP3 in him.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#17 » by 70sFan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 5:05 pm

Texas Chuck wrote:He's too unique to just say Harden or whomever. Harden is clinical precision just spamming the same things over and over because he's spent time in his lab perfecting every element of his game. You know what's coming but you cannot stop it. Luka is much more lyrical. Much more improvisational.

100% agree, I also don't see Harden's comparison. Imagine Luka without stepback three - would you still compare him to Harden? I don't think so and stepback three isn't that huge part of Luka's game.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#18 » by 70sFan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 5:06 pm

Goudelock wrote:
70sFan wrote:You won't find anyone like him. He's not nearly as good passer as Magic, but his scoring repertoire is bigger and he's more scoring-focused. He's not LeBron, because he relies on footwork and jumpshot because he's not as athletic as James. He's better ball-handler than Bird but he doesn't play off-ball. He has much more varied scoring game inside the three point line than Harden.

Luka is Luka and I can't think about anyone playing like him.


What about a bizarre mix of Kobe and Magic? Not as great of a passer as Magic but still a floor general who is as big as many PFs but still controls pace like a smaller guard. And Kobe (as an on-ball scorer) because he's comfortable taking any shot, even if sometimes they're stupid shots. Also has great footwork and knows how to use his strength like older Kobe when carving out space in the midrange.

BTW I'm not saying Luka Doncic is as good as those two combined, I'm just saying that he has lots of elements of both in his game.

This sounds like a decent comparison - Magic with Kobe's mindset and scoring repertoire. Not as good as Magic as a passer and not as skilled as Kobe as a scorer, but overall it sounds nice. Definitely better than Harden comparison.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#19 » by Texas Chuck » Mon Jun 7, 2021 5:08 pm

70sFan wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:He's too unique to just say Harden or whomever. Harden is clinical precision just spamming the same things over and over because he's spent time in his lab perfecting every element of his game. You know what's coming but you cannot stop it. Luka is much more lyrical. Much more improvisational.

100% agree, I also don't see Harden's comparison. Imagine Luka without stepback three - would you still compare him to Harden? I don't think so and stepback three isn't that huge part of Luka's game.


It's the stepback 3 and the physical size and the perception that neither is a great athlete. Combined of course with absurd usage.

But they play very differently.
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Re: Historic player most resembling Luka 

Post#20 » by 70sFan » Mon Jun 7, 2021 6:05 pm

Max123 wrote:People who’ve watched more Oscar Robertson: How does his game compare to Doncic?

Considering of course the vast amount of evolution the game has gone through since the 60s.


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Oscar was far more disciplined player than Luka and he didn't have the same flair.

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