Hall of Famer James Worthy believes that Luka Doncic is the most clutch performer in Los Angeles Lakers history, ranking the Slovenian guard above other great closers such as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson aand Jerry West.
After Doncic dropped 60 points against the Miami Heat on Thursday — including 20 fourth-quarter points to seal the win in the clutch — Worthy explained why Doncic was the “most dominant” closer he had ever seen in a Lakers uniform.
“Historically, the Lakers have had clutch players,” Worthy told Spectrum SportsNet’s postgame show after the Lakers’ 134-126 road win.
“Kareem with the sky hook. Magic with his play. Kobe. Shaq. Fish [Derek Fisher] hitting a [three] with 0.4 [seconds left against the San Antonio Spurs].
“But I don’t think we’ve ever had one as consistent and dominant as Luka Doncic — the way he controls the game with the ball in his hands and a shotmaker.”
James Worthy Praises Luka Doncic
The three-time NBA champion couldn’t stop raving about Doncic’s skill to manipulate defenses and get any shot he desires — especially in the business end of a game.
“Like, he’s a shotmaker from anywhere,” Worthy said of Doncic.
“And he’s really good at drawing fouls, too.”
Building on Worthy’s point, Doncic is attempting 10.3 free throws per game during the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak, while also making 13.4 field goals per game. He’s led the Lakers to an 8-0 record during this stretch, averaging 40.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 6.1 made three-pointers at shooting splits of 50/42/78.
Many analysts believe that Doncic has firmly established himself in the MVP race, with some arguing that his case is as strong as Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama — the two frontrunners to win the Michael Jordan Trophy this year.
Lakers: NBA’s Best Clutch Team
Doncic’s ability to thrive in the clutch has been the key reason why the Purple & Gold owns the NBA’s best clutch record. The Lakers improved to 21-6 in the clutch with Thursday’s win, ranking above the Thunder (22-10), Spurs (24-11) and Detroit Pistons (25-12) in situations where the game is decided by five or fewer points in the final five minutes of regulation. The Lakers are also 1-0 in their only OT game this year.
After Thursday’s win, Lakers head coach JJ Redick and star guard Austin Reaves both made a case for Doncic to win MVP, while praising his ability to shine in the clutch.
“He’s playing as well as anyone in basketball,” Redick said of Doncic, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“He’s really elevated his play at a really important time for our team, elevated the play of his teammates. I think there’s a trust level that we all have — coaches, teammates — with him closing games for us. He’s been fantastic, and I think he’s one of the best and should be in the MVP conversation.
“Hopefully people will start talking about that because he’s having as good a season as anyone.”
Reaves explained why the voters had little reason to vote against Doncic.
“Leading the league in scoring,” Reaves said to begin his case for Doncic to win MVP.
“I said to somebody he was leading the league in a lot of things. [The Lakers are] third in the West. I don’t know. I couldn’t see a reason why he’s not, so I don’t really know. I don’t think what I say is going to really matter, but he definitely should be in that conversation.”
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