Happy 20th, Luka! How the Mavs phenom left his mark as an NBA teen
Luka Doncic scores a game-high 26 points, and Dirk Nowitzki chips in 11 with three 3-pointers in the Mavericks’ 110-101 win vs. the Pacers. (1:41)
DALLAS — Luka Doncic‘s tremendous run as a teenager is done. The Dallas Mavericks rookie turns the ripe old age of 20 on Thursday.
Doncic is arguably the most accomplished teen in basketball history, particularly if you consider him leading Slovenia to a EuroCup championship and winning a EuroLeague MVP and title with Real Madrid.
He didn’t slow down upon arriving in the NBA, averaging 20.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists so far, putting the finishing touches on his teens with a 26-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist performance in Wednesday’s win over the Indiana Pacers.
“It’s crazy that he’s that young, honestly,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who has passed the torch as the face of the Mavs’ franchise to Doncic, who potentially could eventually replace Nowitzki as the greatest European product in NBA history. “If you’ve watched him play all year, if you watched him play [in the win over the Pacers] down the stretch, you wouldn’t think you’re talking to a 19- or 20-year-old kid. He carries himself with the confidence of a veteran.
“The sky’s the limit for him if he keeps working. He’s going to be fun to watch for a long, long time.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information, there have been five players to score more points as an NBA teen than Doncic, and it’s pretty exclusive company: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard. They also all played significantly more NBA games as teens than Doncic, whose 20.9 points per game ranks behind only James (21.9) and Anthony (21.0) among players with more than three games logged before turning 20.
Nobody can match Doncic’s all-around production as a teen.
He has four of the five triple-doubles by teens in NBA history (the other was Markelle Fultz in April 2018).
He has a pair of performances with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, matching the previous total by teens (one apiece for James and Durant).
Doncic and James are the only players to average at least five rebounds and five assists as a teenager.
No teenager in NBA history has hit more 3-pointers than Doncic’s 141.
The only other rookie to match Doncic’s 20-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist nightly production is Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who was 22 years old in his rookie season.
“I always say I knew I could play here,” Doncic said. “I knew what I can do, but honestly I didn’t expect that much that I could do. It’s starting great. Now I just have to keep working.”
All statistics courtesy of ESPN Stats and Information.