Dallas Mavericks: Paul Pierce calls Luka Doncic a top 5 talent in the NBA

Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a solid 2-1 start to the regular season and they have been led by young superstar, Luka Doncic. Former NBA star, Paul Pierce, says Luka is already among the elite in the league.

The NBA is full of confusion and mystery. It always has been and will continue to be as long as people are talking about it. The reason for this is that everyone uses the same words but are talking about different things. This was proven to be true last week when former NBA star, Paul Pierce, talked about Dallas Mavericks point guard, Luka Doncic.

During NBA Countdown on Friday, Paul Pierce called Luka a “top 5 most talented player in the NBA”. Jay Williams and the rest of the panel argued Pierce’s point which only proves that they did not understand or had a different definition than what he was saying. Pierce immediately follows his comment by saying that Luka is a not just a top 5 talent, but a top 5 most fun player to watch in the league.

He then goes on to talk about the many things that Luka does well, focusing in on his versatility. Jalen Rose backs up Pierce to an extent, talking about how good Luka is in the clutch and the fact that he has been a pro for a long time, but Jay Williams clearly did not agree with Pierce and wanted a specific 5 players. Pierce did not oblige, although he did state explicitly that Luka is more talented than Ben Simmons.

In the end, it is mostly about what you believe the word talented means. According to Williams’ tweet below, he probably equates talented with simply the best players in the league. With the exception of Kawhi Leonard, Williams pretty much lists the consensus top 5 players in the league at this time.

Pierce, on the other hand, wants versatility and guys that can do a little bit of everything. When it comes to talent, that is something that has to be considered. Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, etc. are guys that have to be mentioned in that instance, because even though they may not be the most physically gifted, they are good at everything they do.

This is how guys like Tim Duncan and Steve Nash are able to work their way into the conversation of most talented because they do everything well without the need of being a physical specimen to do so. When you get to the most physically impressive players in the league, Luka probably does not get mentioned, although the way he plays like a guard at 6’7″ is definitely noteworthy.

Whether you like it or not (and most of you should like it), Luka is quickly becoming one of the premier players in the NBA and could be near the top in his second NBA season. The NBA was due for a power shift and this growth from Luka and others like Pascal Siakam, Trae Young, Karl-Anthony Towns, etc. was going to happen sooner or later.

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