'Deeper Bag' Than Luka Doncic? Grant Williams Makes His Pick

Grant Williams picked his new Mavs teammate, Luka Doncic, as having a "deeper bag" than one of his NBA peers when comparing the elite scorers.

DALLAS — After joining the Dallas Mavericks in part of a sign-and-trade deal that involved the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, Grant Williams will be teaming up with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. He is looking forward to his new opportunity and already has expressed a strong respect for Doncic. 

During an appearance on Theo Pinson's "Run Your Race" podcast, Williams was asked whether his new teammate, Doncic, or Shai Gileous-Alexander has a "deeper bag." The question comes after Donovan Mitchell recently claimed that the Oklahoma City Thunder star has the "deepest bag" in the NBA. 

"I got Luka," Williams said. "Luka has more game winners and proven stuff. That step back to his left, I don't know if I've ever seen it get blocked or stopped and it's the same spot over and over and over again.

"The thing is about Luka — and I know he's lost a lot of weight — back when he was a rookie, he was dunking on people. Nowadays he's showing left like just regular slow step layups, slow step lays and you're like, 'Come on bro.' Like, that's tough."

Williams considers Doncic as being the best "counter puncher" in the NBA for how he uses the defender's approach against them to manufacture an advantage for himself. In the comparison, Williams likened Doncic to Floyd Mayweather.

"How many game winners Luka's had is absurd," Williams said. "Shai more so gets to the mid-range and just gets his shot off. Luka is like the best counter puncher in the league. He has a counter to everything.

"Think about boxing. When you get like Floyd Mayweather, he's getting hit and countering versus when you have an aggressive fighter that just adapts."

Doncic, who has now earned four All-NBA First-Team nods, routinely is among the NBA's most efficient scorers. Particularly in isolation situations, his output of 1.110 points per possession was the most efficient among all six players with at least 400 isolation plays, right ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Perhaps what makes Doncic so dangerous as an isolation scorer is that he has a way to create an advantage at the point of attack, mid-drive, and deep on the drive. His crafty handle and deceleration can break down a defender trying to contain on the perimeter, all in addition to using his frame and strength. Whether it's a smaller guard, a wing, or a big, he will manufacture an edge.

Doncic's ability to decelerate and use of pace enable him to change directions and get to counters mid-drive, or after commanding a reaction at the point of attack. What sets Doncic apart from so many is how finishes plays deep on drives. His pace and footwork deep in the paint create major advantages to complete plays. If he cannot get into the paint, his short-range game with the one-legged fadeaway, turnaround jumper, wrong-foot floaters, or awkward finishing ability salvage plays.  

There are many elements to Doncic's impact beyond isolation scoring, even his passing out of isolation situations should be taken into consideration. If he draws a crowd on a drive, he has a unique ability to flip the ball behind his head to an open shooter above the break, in addition to manipulating the backline of the defense using his eyes to pass open a weak-side floor spacer, or to get the ball to the center. 

A lot goes into Doncic averaging 32.4 points and 8.0 assists, while doing it with incredible efficiency. He carves up the defense with elite pick-and-roll and handoff creation, isolation attacks, and has the tools to control a game out of the post. Keep in mind, he does that as a guard. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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