Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Western Conference Finals in the final year of his rookie contract. 15 years ago, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in the fourth year of his rookie deal in 2007.
The two are very different in terms of athleticism and defense, among other things, but both Doncic and James were carrying most of the offensive duties, which were much more than what their teammates did, even though they were still under rookie contracts.
Though James has a glorious career, he has gone through a lot of ups, downs and transitions while playing for three teams. What is there in his career that Doncic can learn, so he won’t have to take the roundabout courses James already took?
Luka Doncic (#77) of the Dallas Mavericks tries to beat the defense of LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers in the game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, March 1, 2022. /CFP
Luka Doncic (#77) of the Dallas Mavericks drives in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, May 26, 2022. /CFP
LeBron James (#23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives toward the rim in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, June 14, 2007. /CFP
Host: Li Xiang
Guest: Matthew Watson
Cover designer: Feng Yuan
Chief editor: Chen Ran
Supervisor: Zhang Shilei