When asked about the current best player in the league, the NBA fandom will have a variety of names as answers.
For some, its the reigning two-time back to back MVP Giannis, while the four-time champion LeBron James is the choice for others, and many would also vouch for the likes of Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and so on.
However former Boston Celtics stalwart Paul Pierce’s answer might be a surprise for many, but not for the Mavericks fans, as the 2008 NBA champion and Finals MVP names Luka Dončić as the ‘most skilled player in the league’.
Dončić is reigning on the NBA’s skills ladder, says Pierce
:no_upscale()/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/BT67KJPNKJETXUDTQKIEVEZA5M.jpg "Celtics legend Paul Pierce names this NBA player the 'most skilled' in the league 2")
Dallas Mavericks may be struggling to rise up the league table, but Luka Dončić is picking appreciation.
Despite receiving slack for not being in optimal shape ahead of the 2020-21 season, Dončić started off with high hopes and has landed multiple impressive performances, even though the franchise’s overall form is nothing extraordinary.
Currently, the Slovenian guard has his highest career average in points (29.1), as well as in field goal percentage (47.5) and three-point percentage (33.5).
Even though Mavs lost their most recent fixture against Portland Trail Blazers, Dončić finished the game with 44 points, his second straight 40-point finish after scoring a career-high 46 along with 8 rebounds and 12 points against New Orleans Pelicans.
A ray of hope standing out in a struggling Mavericks side, Dončić caught the attention of Paul Pierce.
“He’s probably the most skilled player in the NBA,” Pierce was quoted by NBA Central.
A former Real Madrid youngster, Dončić was originally picked by Atlanta Hawks as a 2018 first-round draft pick, but was later traded to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young as well as a 2019 first-round pick.
In 2019, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and a year later was selected the All-Star and also the All-NBA First Team.
Mavs are currently down in 10th position in the Western Conference and will host Detroit Pistons up next at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday.
