Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Tim Hardaway Says He’d Take Luka Doncic Over LeBron James At 23 Years Old: “Better Than What LeBron Was Doing”

Luka Doncic has been doing wonders for the Dallas Mavericks this season. After leading them to the Western Conference Finals last season, Doncic has opened up the 2022-23 NBA season with averages 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game on 48.8% shooting while carrying the team to a 6-5 record.

Coming out of the gates strong, Doncic earned a bit more praise from five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway. Appearing on “SportsLens”, Hardaway compared Doncic to four-time NBA champion LeBron James and exclaimed that the Mavs superstar is better than LeBron was at 23 years old.

For the sake of comparison, a 23-year old LeBron averaged 30.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on 48.4% shooting from the field for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007-08 NBA season. He ended up winning the scoring title, was named an All-Star, an All-NBA First Team member, and finished fourth in MVP voting.

“I will take Luka at 23,” he said. “What he’s doing now, his jump shot, but we have to remember, Luka has been playing professional basketball since he was the age of 16. He’s been playing professional basketball. He’s been playing against grown men. LeBron just started playing against grown men at 18. Then he had to figure it out. That took him about three years.

    “I will say right now, looking back, 23 and 23, what Luka is doing, yeah, I think that he’s doing it better than what LeBron was doing.”