Jason Kidd believes Luka Doncic is ‘in the same atmosphere’ of Michael Jordan, but only younger

After Dallas‘ tight 131-129 win against Orlando on Monday night, coach Jason Kidd did the usual postgame interview: singing praise for his superstar Luka Doncic, who has been especially clinical in his last appearances, including his 73-point performance this past weekend. 

After overcoming an injury at the start of the year, he’s not only back to being a top-5 player in the league, but he’s back in the race for this season’s MVP award. Even though he’s yet to conquer a championship with the Mavericks, the franchise has definitely been enjoying their best basketball alongside him since they conquered the NBA title back in 2011.

Even with no accolades, his coach is convinced that the Slovenian is already up there with the all-time NBA greats. On Tuesday, Kidd started out by saying that his point guard is a better player than franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki, and then explained why he’s already stepping on legend’s ankles.

Jason Kidd says Luka Doncic is in same realm as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant: https://t.co/tUw5Z14jjO

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 30, 2024

“I’ve said this before, and I’ll say this for as long as I’m here, you can’t take this young man for granted,” said the Dallas tactician. “He’s better than Dirk, he’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it. LeBron [James], Kobe, and so just to appreciate what this young man is doing at the age of 24 is something that Dallas has never seen.”

Kidd just hopes his talent will eventually end up winning a well-deserved trophy. “And 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,” he insisted.

During his appearance on 97.1 this week, the interviewer asked the coach if he really backed the statement that Luka is better than his mentor Nowitzki, considering he’s never made it to the NBA Finals, but Kidd doubled down.

“Yeah, MJ is the same way, MJ didn’t make it until his 30s,” the trainer recalled. “This young man is 24 and is breaking all the records that stand in front of him. He’s a winner, and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. He will get there, and not just win one, but he will win multiple when it’s all said and done.”

The Slovenian believes Mavericks have a chance at the NBA title if they increase their physicality

After his consecutive-stellar exhibition this past week, the press has been all over the European point guard, and have asked him what the Mavericks need to earn their first NBA title in 13 years.

“As for what we lack and what we should do, it is clear that we should play much more physically,” Doncic explained. “Practically everyone is much more physical against us than we are against them. We need to change that.”

The 24-year-old has been long enough in the league to understand what the biggest teams possess they they don’t in Dallas, as other franchises are significantly more physical against them. However, the guard believes that the secret is about play hard without committing fouls.

“We just got to be more physical – that’s it. I think when we play physical 48 minutes, it’s hard to beat us,” he shared after losing to the Suns last week. “We got to play physically without fouling.”

Up to this point, the Mavericks are still one of the smallest teams in the NBA, especially considering that nowadays big men are considered to be six-foot-eight or even taller. In the Dallas roster, Luka seems to be the tallest perimeter player available, and the squad has grown dependent on using the Slovenian in almost all lineup combinations.