I admit it. I am a Luka Doncic bandwagoner. Less than three months ago, I watched highlights of Doncic committing European assault and thought to myself, "I could do that against those guys." At just 18-years-old, Luka Doncic carried his team to the EuroLeague championship and was the youngest player in league history to win MVP. I was the starting point guard on my high school basketball team. We were practically the same.
Fast forward three months, Luka is averaging 18.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, against the best players the world has to offer. I can not do what Luka Doncic does. In fact, barely anyone can do what Luka Doncic does.
Of all the players in the NBA, the 19-year-old is one of the seven few to average at least 18/6/4.5. The players joining Doncic includes superstar names like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, and Blake Griffin. Luka Doncic is at least five years younger than every one of his statistical peers.
I was wrong. Luka Doncic is special and I want his jersey before it becomes the cool thing for people(I used poeple, but we all know which people) to wear at music festivals. While I'm in the process of admitting wrongs, I'd like to turn the attention over to Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox.
Despite witnessing what Kentucky head coach John Calipari has done in the past with the likes of Derrick Rose and John Wall, I, like many others, wrote off De'Aaron Fox in the 2017 NBA Draft. Yes, he possessed once-in-a-generation speed, but he didn't shoot better than Markelle Fultz and he couldn't pass better than Lonzo Ball. One year later, everyone shoots better than Markelle Fultz and at 7.5 assists a night Fox is outpassing the Lakers golden boy.
While it is a much-needed stage in my character development, admitting I was wrong isn't the purpose of this article. Instead, this article(and series as a whole) serves to answer the age-old hypothetical: "Which player would you build your franchise around?"
When choosing between two young talents like Doncic and Fox, the most important aspects to look at are the players' possible longevity(how long can this player lead the franchise), their impact on the game, and their ceiling(who has the higher potential).
Longevity
Via Mavs.com
Winner: Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic winning this category isn't as much a knock against De'Aaron Fox as it is a realization that skill outlasts athleticism. Operating off of a combination of mastered mid-range pull-ups and crafty finishes around the basket, Fox is more than just the basketball embodiment of Madden 04 Michael Vick. His 57.5 true shooting percentage places him in-between the likes of J.J. Reddick and Kyle Lowry, but speed is what makes Fox so special. Of players that play at least half the game(24 minutes), Fox plays at the seventh fastest pace and if you bump the cutoff to 30 minutes a night, no one plays faster than the Kings' point guard.
Luka Doncic, on the other hand, operates through a combination of skill and size that has proven to outlast all others. Just ask the 7'1, 40-year-old that still "runs" up and down the court with Doncic. Lining up as a 6'7 skilled point guard, Doncic has the size to operate from the post against smaller defenders and the footwork to create space against larger ones.
Unlike Fox's godly(not a hyperbolic adjective) speed, Luka's combination of size and skill will be able to carry his organization well into the next decade.
Impact
Via A Sea of Blue
Winner: De'Aaron Fox
Via NBA.com
At this point in their careers, this category isn't really close. Even with a slightly higher usage rate(25.2 to 23.9), Doncic doesn't have nearly the same impact on his team as De'Aaron Fox does. The eye test alone could settle this category. De'Aaron Fox picks up opposing point guards 94 feet and uses his speed to make defensive closeouts Carmelo Anthony would die for. While Fox runs from baseline to baseline wreaking havoc on opposing teams, Luka Doncic has a tendency to get lost on that side of the ball.
Similar to many other offensive superstars, Doncic doesn't seem too concerned with things on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Fox seems to relish in the opportunity to become a two-way superstar, declaring, "I just want to change the game defensively when I’m on the court." That defensive mindset along with Fox besting Doncic in just about every advanced stat sets Fox as the clearly more impactful player.
Ceiling
Via House of Highlights
Winner: Luka Doncic
After an "epic duel" between the two young guards, both teams head coaches had high praise for the other's floor general. The praise from both of the coaches shows the separation between the superstar potential of Doncic and Fox.
Here's how Rick Carlisle showed his respect for De'Aaron Fox:
And now to Dave Joerger on Luka Doncic:
One coach sounds respectful towards a budding star's talent, while the other coach sounds genuinely depressed that he doesn't have the other player on his team. The depressive symptoms exhibited by Kings head coach Dave Joerger is likely due to the front office passing up on Luka Doncic for Marvin Bagley III in the 2018 draft and it's shared throughout both the Suns and Hawks organizations.
The fact that franchises with rookies averaging 15.6 points and 10.1 rebounds (Suns/DeAndre Ayton), 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds (Kings/Marvin Bagley III), and 15.4 points and 7.2 assists(Hawks/Trae Young) feel any regret shows just how limitless Doncic's potential is.
De'Aaron Fox has the potential to be John Wall with a jumpshot, but even that scary ceiling can't stack up against the all-time great future of Luka Doncic.
Winner: Luka Doncic 2-1
Agree or disagree with my choice? Tell me which player you would choose to build your franchise around in the comment section. Like the new series? Leave a like and let me know other players you want to see go against each other.