Future Face of NBA? Mavs Luka Doncic Receives High Praise From Jayson Tatum

Dallas Mavericks franchise player Luka Doncic listed by Jayson Tatum as a next face of the league alongside himself and other young guys.
In this story:

The next wave of NBA players are taking shape and dominating the league's landscape. With the rise of young talent and durability of older stars, the league is seeing some incredible parity.

Dallas Mavericks star and franchise player Luka Doncic is one of the players that has next. Doncic, 24, is coming off a season having averaged 32.4 points per game. He's also gained the respect for some time now, as he singlehandedly took his team to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. 

Jayson Tatum, another young superstar, talked about the future faces of the NBA after the current generation ages out. 

"You got guys like me, Luka [Doncic], Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell,” he said, per Ball Don't Lie. “The league is in great hands. So many talented guys.”

Doncic has played five seasons in his short career, and the only time that he's averaged under 27.7 points per game was his rookie season, where he still averaged 21.2 points per game.

Since playing in overseas pro leagues at a young age, Doncic came into the NBA ready to play. He was able to score easier with more space on the court and was able to handle the physical aspect of the game. 

The 24-year-old is heading into his sixth season, and there's an argument that he's the most dominant young player in the league, and, as the team around him continues to improve, people will see how dominate he is and can be. 

Another reason Doncic will be able to easily stay on top of being the face of the league is the way the Mavericks build and play around him. Their holistic style feeds the fans what they want. Doncic is constantly in position to make plays and the plays are always going to go through him, whereas other young stars don't quite get that treatment. 


Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook. 


Published
Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.