PHOENIX – Luka Doncic was named to the NBA All-Star team Thursday for the fourth year in a row.
The Dallas Mavericks’ point guard joins Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thhomas and Anthony Davis as the only players to earn four All-Star berths before the age of 24.
Doncic was named as a starter for the Western Conferemce for the third time in the last four seasons.
“It’s well deserved,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s one of the best players in the world. You look at what he’s done in the first half of the season, the numbers are off the charts.
“He puts his team in a position to win on a nightly basis. Again, I’ve said this before, we can’t take him for granted. I know he’s only 23, but the things that he’s doing on a nightly basis is impressive and nice to watch, and he’s only going to get better.”
Doncic, 23, leads the NBA in scoring (33.8), is 18th in rebounding (9.1), fourth assists (8.6), 11th in steals (1.5), and also has a league-high 10 games where he’s scored at least 40 points. He joins Stephen Curry in as a starter on the backcourt for the West, while the frontcourt starters are Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson and James,
The starters in the backcourt for the East are Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell, while the frontcourt starters are Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmto and ]ayson Tatum.
Asked if Doncic is one of those generational players who likely will have many, many years of All-Star appearances, Kidd said: “I think it’s just his skill set. His talent is very high. It matches his IQ. His will to win, his performances, when you look at the numbers he’s putting up, at some point you don’t want to start wasting those. You want to start putting yourself in position to be that last team standing.
“But I think a goal for him is to always be an All-Star in this league. It’s not easy. There’s so many talented players in this league, but when you see the votes of being a starter — he got a couple of votes there, so it’s good to see that he’s recognized throughout the world for his talent, but he’s well deserved to be a starter with the other four.”
Unfortunately, Doncic was unable to show off his All-Star talents Thursday when the Mavs played the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Doncic sprained his left ankle less than four minutes into the game – X-rays were negative – and he did not return.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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