The Luka Doncic experience is comparable to two NBA greats, claims Bill Simmons after watching him live for the LA Lakers for the first time.
It is six weeks now since Luka Doncic was traded to the LA Lakers, and while it still does not feel normal, it quite possibly never will.
Doncic was thrown off course from his own play to stay with the Dallas Mavericks for the rest of his career, unceremoniously traded before the deadline.
The superstar put on a show for the Lakers in their win over the Denver Nuggets, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, 31 in total.
Luka Doncic impressions
NBA analyst Bill Simmons was in attendance at the Crypto.com Arena to see Doncic lead the Lakers to victory, where he watched Luka Doncic in person on the LA Lakers for the first time.
Speaking on his podcast he recounted the experience, comparing the buzz around the arena to the impact Kobe Bryant used to have on the fans.
He explained: “It is different. And I’m not saying it was bad before, but the energy reminded me of what it was like when I went to that Kobe game.
“It’s the same thing, and you kind of either have that or you don’t, and he has it, and it’s one of the many reasons why that trade is ___ing incredibly stupid [for Dallas].”
He described the vibe at the Lakers seeing Doncic as being one where you could believe something spectacular could happen on any given night, and likened it to peak Steph Curry on the Warriors, using the two words ‘no ceiling’ to sum up the feeling the superstar imparts.
Simmons explained: “He’s still one of the five best players in the league. But it’s like, I wonder what else is there? So you have that.
“You have the performance aspect, which Kobe was unbelievable at, and LeBron is great at too, but Kobe, there was a demeanor to him at these games, especially as he really bought into it. That was just awesome.”
“You have the ‘no ceiling’ in any game you go to with Luka, which I think is as rare as it gets.
“And it’s the thing that I think made Curry so special the last 10 years, it’s like, am I at the game right now where curry is going to hit 15 threes? Am I at the game right now? Where he going to get 70?”
Biggest games of Luka Doncic’s career
Luka Doncic has already stacked one 70 point game in his career, for the Dallas Mavericks, ending with 73 points against the Hawks in January 2024.
It still seems unthinkable that 13 months on the Mavs talked themselves into trading away the superstar.
Doncic also had a 60-point game in 2022, and has hit 50 or more points on five separate occasions, and already has one 45-point showing for the Lakers.
It was part of what made him such compelling viewing in Dallas, prompting an outpouring of upset when they traded him away.
These numbers are even more than Curry’s biggest score, which came in 2021 when he hit 62. But to Simmons’ point, something spectacular can still happen when he is on the court. He recently put up 56 points against the Magic, the fourth highest score of his career.
Doncic has brought the ‘show’ back to Los Angeles, and as Simmons points out, there are new heights for him to scale, that lucky fans in attendance are in with a chance to watch on each and every night.