Luka Doncic’s Mentality Compared To Kobe Bryant’s

Luka Doncic is off to an historic start to his first season leading the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James, and it’s not only garnered him early MVP buzz, but also put him in the same breath as Kobe Bryant in more ways than one.

Doncic, Bryant and Elgin Baylor are the only players in Lakers franchise history to score at least 35 points in six consecutive games. Doncic’s streak has included four 40-point games and one where he scored a season-high 52.

“Listen, we’re watching an all-time great,” NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN this week. “Top 10 greatest offensive player that I’ve ever seen. I’ve played against some all-time greats, and one of them is Kobe Bryant. What people don’t understand is Luka is the closest thing to Kobe that I’ve seen mentality-wise.

“He don’t give a damn. And when it comes to a scouting report, facing a guy like Kobe Bryant in the Finals twice, our scouting report said, ‘You know what? We’re going to let Kob’ get his and we’re going to shut down everybody else.’ And it’s gotten to that point when you’re guarding Luka Doncic.

“You really can’t get too physical with him because he’s too crafty as far as being able to get to the free throw line. He plays at his pace, he’s doing everything and more.”

Bryant’s ferocity on the court of course led to the famed Mamba Mentality that encompassed so much of his career and persona.

Doncic previously has drawn comparisons to Bryant, including with how he’s embraced the Lakers fanbase and their strong support of him. Their connection also extends to the late Lakers legend imparting wisdom on Doncic through multiple conversations.

While Doncic’s scoring prowess and fierce competitiveness on the court have likened him to Bryant, one big void that does is exist is the lack of a championship, much less multiple titles. But with the Lakers front office now in the mode of building a team around Doncic, he has certainly proven plenty capable of being able to reach the NBA Finals.

Luka Doncic recognized among NBA’s best

In addition to Perkins, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zach LaVine are among the opposing players who have heaped plenty of praise on Doncic.

“When you have a guy like Luka, obviously he’s one of the best scorers to ever play this game, if not the best,” Antetokounmpo said. “Not right now. Like, of all time. I feel like some people are scared to say that, but he’s got to be up there.”

LaVine said on Wednesday: “Luka’s one of the most talented players of all-time. I don’t think people actually give him enough credit for how good he really is. The shot-making ability is insane. You really can’t contest him. He gets calls, but he plays at his own pace, he creates contact.

“Dude is averaging 40 right now. … It’s super impressive, man. You can’t say enough about it. He’s one of the best scorers of all time.”