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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has seen enough to declare that All-Star guard Luka Doncic is the best player in franchise history.
In fact, Kidd took it much further than saying that Doncic has surpassed Dirk Nowitzki as the best player to ever wear a Mavericks uniform. During a Tuesday appearance on Dallas radio station 97.1 The Freak’s “The Downbeat,” Kidd proclaimed that Doncic, 24, belongs in the conversation with Michael Jordan and others on the short list of the greatest players in NBA history.
“He’s better than Dirk,” said Kidd, a Hall of Famer who was teammates with Nowitzki on the Mavs’ 2010-11 championship team. “He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]. And so, just to appreciate what this young man’s doing at the age of 24, [it] is something that Dallas has never seen. I’ve said this internally: He is better than Dirk. He does things that Dirk could never do, and now is the opportunity of getting the right people around him to ultimately win a championship.”
Kidd made the bold comments in the wake of a historically remarkable three-game run for Doncic, beginning with a 73-point outburst in Friday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, the highest-scoring performance in the league since Bryant’s epic 81-point night.
Doncic averaged 48.7 points and 13.0 assists in the three games over four nights, accounting for 79.7 points per game. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only Wilt Chamberlain has generated more points in a three-game span in NBA history, accounting for averages of 82 and 81 points in overlapping three-game runs in 1962.
Doncic became the first player to average a 50-point triple-double over two games, following up his 73-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist performance in Atlanta with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists in the next night’s home loss to the Sacramento Kings. With Mavs co-star Kyrie Irving sidelined by a sprained right thumb, Doncic rested for a total of only five minutes in the back-to-back.
“I’m tired,” Doncic said postgame Saturday night. “I can’t wait to go to sleep, honestly.”
Doncic mustered enough energy two nights later to record 45 points, 9 rebounds and 15 assists in a comeback win over the Orlando Magic. He became the first player in NBA history with multiple 45-point, 15-assist performances. His first came on Christmas night, when Doncic had 50 points and 15 assists in a road win over the Phoenix Suns.
There is no doubt that Doncic, who is averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.6 assists for the 26-21 Mavericks this season, has statistical production that compares favorably with that of the league’s legends.
Dallas, however, has not had much playoff success during the five-time All-Star’s career. Doncic’s playoff average of 32.5 points per game ranks second behind Jordan’s 33.4, but the Mavs have advanced out of the first round only once with Doncic, reaching the Western Conference finals in 2022. Dallas did not qualify for the postseason last year.
Nevertheless, Kidd is comfortable including Doncic among the best players of all time and predicted that his championships will come, pointing out that Jordan had yet to win a title at this stage of his career.
“This young man is 24 and is breaking all the records that stand in front of him,” Kidd said. “He’s a winner, and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. And he will get there and not just win one, but he will win multiple when it’s all said and done.”