When asked to compare Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Mavs owner Mark Cuban had a simple answer: you can't.
In an interview on First Take, Cuban highlighted areas of the game and mindset that differentiate the two players.
Mark Cuban says LeBron and Luka "are not really comparable." pic.twitter.com/ymuDfAlZBR
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 25, 2020
Mark Cuban emphasized that Luka Doncic came into the league with basketball IQ and understood the small aspects of the game. Ultimately, his game is centered around involving other members of his team, making the squad a better unit overall.
On the other hand, the Mavs boss characterized LeBron James to be an athlete from the start, eventually developing his basketball IQ with experience. His physicality and athleticism are what allowed James to take over games when needed, especially when he led a team without a lot of superstar caliber players.
Cuban made a good point about Doncic's ability to really understand the fundamentals of the game, from angles to court vision, but he failed to talk about his ability to also take over games when needed. The multiple 40 point games as well as averaging 28.8 points last season prove that the Mavs youngster is more than capable of single-handedly changing the momentum of games–not to mention the buzzer-beater he had against the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020 playoffs.
Also, Cuban did not take into account James' development into a player that also gets his teammates involved, one of the key reasons why the Lakers were able to take a championship home. James has increased his assist per game average from the beginning of his career to the player he has become currently, a fact that is often overlooked.
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