Luka Doncic's biggest nemesis finally gives him career-defining compliment

Over the first couple of years of his career, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks couldn't make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

His first season ended with Dallas missing the playoffs entirely, and in the following two years, a new rivalry formed for the Mavs. Doncic and the Mavs fell to the LA Clippers in the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, and many Mavs fans grew a hatred for the Clippers and a couple of their players for how those series went.

Whether it was smack talk, hard fouls, and close games, the Mavs and Clippers brought the best out of each other in those series. Dallas fans began to dislike Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrel for some heated moments in that series, but most of the fans' annoyance went toward Patrick Beverley.

Beverley is known for trying to get under players' skin and talk trash, and he would seemingly always try to guard Doncic early in his career. It typically didn't go Beverley's way, but the two had plenty of good battles nonetheless. Beverley's constant trash talk with Doncic turned him into someone for whom many Mavs fans grew a distaste, but he has given Doncic his flowers time and time again over the last few years. There is no genuine beef there, and those matchups were fun while they lasted.

Patrick Beverley thinks Luka Doncic will 'break a lot of records'

Beverley is now out of the NBA and playing overseas, and he recently gave Doncic a compliment that alludes to him turning into an all-time great player.

On his podcast "Pat Bev Pod," Beverley dove into why Doncic is so hard to stop and how he is going to make NBA history consistently.

"Can't put the classic point guard on him because he's too small," Beverley said. "Can't put the classic two guard on him because he's too small. Can't put the three on him...He's gonna break a lot of records. Obviously, given health, given longevity of his career."

Beverley praised Doncic, practically calling him a walking mismatch, and thinks he is going to break many NBA records over the course of his career if he can stay healthy and play for a long time. He has gone as far as to say that Doncic is the greatest player he's ever guarded and also admitted that Doncic cooked him in the playoffs.

Everything that Doncic has done over the first six years of his career screams greatness, and Beverley knows that firsthand. Doncic looks like he could turn it to be one of the greatest offensive players the league has ever seen, and the sky is the limit for him.

At this point in his career, Beverley seems like a big fan of Doncic, and Mavs fans can finally flip the page after their many playoff battles. There is no bad blood there, and there seems to be a level of mutual respect between the two. Beverley even named Doncic as one of the best trash talkers in the league in the past, and it's a shame that fans likely won't get to see this battle again.

Doncic is on pace to have another elite season, and he could find himself at the top of the NBA MVP ladder if he continues to improve and the new-look Mavs roster performs as well as expected.