Getty Luka Doncic cracks a smile at Kevin Durant.
Once again, Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic proved he is on a different level than most players in the NBA. After he put up 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in Dallas’ 126-122 overtime win over the New York Knicks on December 27, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant lauded Doncic for his historic performance.
“That was a MyCareer type performance from Luka tonight. Some video game s***,” Durant tweeted on December 28.
It was the first 60-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game in NBA history, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Not even Wilt Chamberlain had done it.
In his four seasons in the league, Doncic has been an All-Star three times, All-NBA three times and a Rookie of the Year winner. Now, he’s a record holder.
That was a MyCareer type performance from Luka tonight. Some video game shit
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Kevin Durant Wasn’t Always a Fan
Doncic, 23, has transformed himself into one of the best hybrid players in NBA history because he can score, pass and rebound at a historically high level. Durant, who is a unicorn in his own right, has acknowledged that he wasn’t a fan of Doncic’s game when Doncic came into the league after being the No. 3 overall pick in the draft in 2018. But as he has blossomed as a player, Durant has grown to appreciate Doncic as a player.
“He plays so slow. … It’s hard because he goes from slow to fast so easily and he is just so smooth with it. I love his game,” Durant said during the November 11 episode of his podcast “The ETCs.”
“At first, I didn’t, when he first came into the league because I’m like all he does is step back 3s, and they be short as hell. He’s shooting like 27%-30% from the 3-point line early on. I’m, like, this is the guy?” Durant said. “But … I think they beat us by 40 when I was with Golden State, and he was controlling every possession, and I was, like, ‘Yeah, he nice.’ His game just started expanding.”
Kevin Durant Describes Luka Doncic’s Deceptiveness
A popular belief around the NBA is that Doncic is a slow player because he does not have the blistering end-to-end speed of most point guards.
Doncic himself has played up the narrative. On November 30, TNT’s Charles Barkley asked Doncic whether he thought the Mavericks needed to pick up their pace of play.
“Yeah, we have, but you know I’m slow. That’s probably the problem,” Doncic said, smiling.
Durant said Doncic uses that false narrative to his advantage, saying his deceptive speed can easily catch whoever is defending him off guard.
“He’s deceptively quick, too. He’ll get around you fast, slip around you fast for a layup and then slow down. That’s how he’ll get a lot of fouls, too,” Durant said on “The ETCs” in 2021.
“Because he’ll act like he doesn’t have any athleticism. And he can get around you, and he got a big body so he be trying to trick people into thinking he can’t get around you. And he slows down, you chase him down, and he’ll slow down, and get a layup and one, so you gotta be on point with that dude.”