Golden State Warriors superstar, Stephen Curry, has stated that Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Doncic, will be the next big star in the NBA. Doncic has experienced a meteoric rise since joining the NBA in 2018.
His numbers and performances at this period of his career are almost incomparable to many legendary players in the NBA, with his consistency prompting fans and pundits alike to call him a future superstar.
Every NBA Finals from 2007 to 2020 has featured LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and/or Stephen Curry, but that streak was ended by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Curry and James are close to retirement, and there are few candidates to take the mantle from the two icons.
When one thinks of the next face of the NBA, names like Jayson Tatum, Jas Morant, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Anthony Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid come to mind.
The aforementioned players certainly have the ‘It’ factor, just like Curry and James, but they have a long way to go to reach the level of the two veterans.
Curry lauds Doncic
Speaking on a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Curry was asked who he sees as the next players who will make a big impact in the league. He mentioned a few players but put emphasis on Doncic.
“Luka is the guy, obviously, that’s right on the precipice of accomplishing all those accolades, and just what he’s about as a player… When you play against him, you can feel it.”
In his five seasons in the NBA, Doncic has averaged at least 21 points per game. Last season (2022/23), he had a career year, averaging 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game, which was the second-best in the NBA.
He’s also played at least 60 games in the last five seasons, in addition to being a four-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA player.
Doncic wants to see changes in Dallas
Sports Brief previously reported on Doncic saying the Dallas Mavericks needs to make serious changes after a frustrating 2022/24 season.
The 2011 NBA champions finished the season 11th in the West with a 38-44 record, their first losing record since Doncic’s rookie season (2017/18).
The Mavs’ blockbuster trade, which brought Kyrie Irving to Dallas, did not bear fruit as the team collapsed in the last two months of the season.
