Luka Dončić Is Doing a Great LeBron James Impression

At 20 years old, Dončić is averaging close to a triple-double this season

Luka Dončić Is Doing a Great LeBron James Impression
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in action. (Mike Stobe/Getty)
Getty Images

The last time he took the court for the Dallas Mavericks, second-year player Luka Dončić went off for 35 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 142-94 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Dončić did all his damage in just 25 minutes and 30 seconds, the least playing time in NBA history a player has needed to produce a 30-point triple-double, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Thanks to performances like that, the reigning rookie of the year is one of two players in the NBA averaging at least 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game this season. The other? LeBron James.

At 20 years old, Dončić is averaging close to a triple-double (29.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 9.4 assists) to go along with nearly 1.5 steals per game, numbers which no one in NBA history has put up for an entire season at his age.

Though the Slovenian star is only 14 games into his season, it appears Dončić is well on the way to having the best age-20 season since James tore up the league at that age.

“Declaring that Dončić will follow James’s path and dominate the league for a decade and a half is foolish,” writes FiveThirtyEight. “Pretty much nobody has ever done what LeBron has done. That’s what makes him one of the all-time greats. But pretty much nobody has ever done what Dončić is doing, either. So perhaps he’s on his way.”

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