Luka Doncic Explains LeBron James, Steve Nash Why NBA Scoring is Easier Than FIBA Scoring

Luka Doncic poured out gems from his Real Madrid tenure to give an explanation for his increased scoring in the NBA.

Luka Doncic Explains LeBron James, Steve Nash Why NBA Scoring is Easier Than FIBA Scoring

LeBron James. Luka Doncic (Image via FirstSportz)

With the NBA’s ratings going down every year, a lot of discourse has been had around why this is happening. One possible reason is the explosion of pace and scoring and the resulting lack of emphasis on defense. Many regular season NBA games now feel like glorified pickup runs by pro ball players. But is there a simple explanation to this? Lakers superstar Luka Doncic seems to have one based on his play.

The former Euroleague MVP is the most accomplished prospect in NBA history. He had a Eurobasket win with rank outsiders Slovenia before having a vintage season with Real Madrid in 2017-18. Doncic’s game had a few holes, but most basketball fans knew that he would come into the NBA and score freely. NBA front offices had their doubts, but Luka Doncic instantly made three front offices regret passing him up.

Doncic finished his rookie season averaging 21.2 points per game, in addition to 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists. This was a figure better than even LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who were viewed as some of the most NBA-ready prospects of all time. But his hot streak hardly stopped there – the Slovenian upped his scoring to 28.8 points per game as a second-year player. He’s had two straight seasons as the scoring champion.

Doncic’s adaptation to the NBA was something many GMs didn’t expect to happen so smoothly. They thought that his lower lateral mobility would hamper his ability to dissect defenses and get open buckets. However, Luka Doncic proved them all wrong with his wily and effective scoring. He appeared on LeBron James’ Mind the Game podcast recently to discuss why scoring in the NBA is easier than with FIBA rules:

When I said it’s easier to score in the NBA, it’s because it’s just different rules. You have a lot of more space and you have more minutes – it’s 8 more minutes. So it’s just because of that. In Europe, you get a big guy like Edy Tavares, who plays in Madrid. He’s just standing in the paint. He can stand in the paint, he’s 220 lbs. It’s hard to score against that. Here it’s easier to score because of the 3-second rule.

Luka Doncic could be one of the greatest scorers in NBA history

There are a lot of accolades that Luka Doncic has ticked off in merely seven NBA seasons. He has a Finals appearance and playoff wins against Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker. He has had two deep playoff runs and is still in the prime of his career. And unlike SGA, he has not underperformed on a Finals team that was tipped to win the title ahead of the playoffs.

Doncic’s scoring skillset comes from all spots on the floor. He can pull up from 35 feet out off the dribble. He can take the ball to the bucket and hit a layup over 7-footers. He has floater range and a steady teardrop. Doncic can come off screens, take on defenders 1v1, make shots going to his left and to his right. He has the pacing, the IQ, the composure and the patience to dissect every defensive scheme in the book.

Now that he’s on a mission to prove his doubters wrong, Doncic will look to play his best basketball ever with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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