As part of a recent interview with NBA Cafe Barcelona, retired All-Star Steve Nash noted his affinity for Mavs star Luka Doncic.

Several talented players have come through the NBA at a young age, but Nash feels that Doncic might be the best 20-year-old the league has ever known.

Via EuroHoops:

“I think he’s maybe the best 20-year-old the NBA has ever seen,” Nash said of Doncic in an interview for NBA Cafe Barcelona. “The game’s a little different than when LeBron (James) came into the league. The numbers are little inflated because of the pace and the hand check. But still. I don’t think Lebron was so gifted but I don’t think he was as polished as Luka at 20. Now, Luka’s never going to be the athlete that Lebron is, but he’s a great athlete. He’s an underrated athlete.”

Doncic is young, but he already had a wealth of experience under his belt before entering the NBA, as he played professionally in Europe since the age of 13. Most experts credit former Mavs big man Dirk Nowitzki as the best European player in NBA history, but Nash believes Doncic has a chance to be better than Der große Deutsche.

“It’s possible. For sure,” Nash, a teammate of Nowitzki from 1998 to 2004, said. “Especially when you look at Dirk at 20. Dirk was amazing at 20. But compared to Luka? Because physically he was catching up. Luka’s already there physically. I think Dirk was playing in the second division in Germany. Luka has been playing in EuroLeague for Real Madrid. It’s a different time. Dirk was a rare-rare thing then. Now, it’s normal for a guy to come from Europe and be good right away. But Luka’s not normal in any way. He has a chance to be better than Dirk and Dirk is one of the best players we ever had. That says how incredible of a player and talent Luka is.”

Doncic is off to a great start to this season. In his 21 appearances with the Mavs, the Slovenian-born guard has racked up averages of 30.3 points on 47.8 percent shooting from the field (32.7 percent from beyond the arc), 10.1 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33.7 minutes per outing. For perspective, he's currently third in scoring, second in assists, and 13th in rebounding. He's also third in efficiency.

Dallas improved to 15-6 with Wednesday night's 121-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavs will look to extend their winning streak to five on Saturday, then they'll serve as hosts to the New Orleans Pelicans.