“Wherever he wants to. It’s up to him. Obviously, we know what he’s capable of doing on the floor. That’s without question. So it’s up to him”– this was LeBron James‘ response when a reporter asked him about Luka Doncic‘s career path. The clear show of respect came after the Slovenian outshined Bron in the Lakers-Mavs game last season at the Crypto.com Arena. This has often been the case, where Doncic outplays his competition- he became the first hooper to average at least 33/8/8 for an entire season. But for how long will he keep doing that?

At 25, Luka Doncic is dominating the league as he is set to begin his 5th straight season as an MVP contender. And the scary part is, he isn’t even at his peak. It’s like one of those nightmarish villains in the anime, powering up every season. While the Mavs talisman hasn’t entered his villainous arc, he sure is close after missing out on the NBA Championship by a whisker! And newsflash, he can continue his reign of terror by achieving LeBron James-like longevity. That’s what the experts on the Run Your Race Podcast think.

Jamal Crawford, Theo Pinson, and AJ Richardson discussed Luka Doncic’s effect on the game and what that means for the Mavs heartbeat. Comparing him with Chris Paul too, Jamal Crawford highlighted the fact how Doncic slows down the whole game according to his pace. To this, Theo Pinson said, “I was with Luka. That’s why I told everyone this year,” after which a footage played where the former Mavs player mentioned that Doncic has the ‘LeBron factor’.

“Luca Doncic can literally control. He’s the closest thing to LeBron of being able to control everything on the court. Everyone says he needs to play… No! Why? He can literally control the whole game at his speed. You have to go his pace… It is very scary with got like he’s figured it and dog what’s f—–d up is that he just got to the Finals. He knows he can get there now,” Pinson added.

“And his game isn’t built on athleticism. So this run can run for another 15 years if he wants,” Crawford chimed in. The 3x Sixth Man of the Year pointed out how Luka Doncic’s game is not oriented around athleticism. The Slovenian’s game is all about his wits and court IQ which can help him in the long run to achieve longevity similar to LeBron James, who is entering his 22nd season. In LeBron’s case especially, despite him being fitter than youngsters out there, his game revolves around a lot of analyzing and then getting better.

It’s probably even why he’s been working on his three-point shooting. His output accuracy from deep nearly saw a 9% rise last season itself! The hoops community also cherished the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast because they got glimpses of how the NBA legend thinks with the intense level of detail, on and off-court. So, not only Jamal Crawford and Theo Pinson agree that Luka Doncic is the closest thing to LeBron James, but even the Lakers reportedly think so as reports emerged about the former’s move to LA.

Lakers reportedly want Luka Doncic to replace LeBron James

It might be difficult to accept, but LeBron James is approaching the final years of his illustrious NBA career. He has not finalized the dates yet, but his possible journey with the Purple and Gold would continue for the next few years and then what? The Lakers eventually have to think about their future without him. Filling his King-sized shoes will certainly be a huge challenge for anyone in the league. However, the franchise has seemingly identified Luka Doncic as the talent who is capable of taking his place.

During an episode of The Mismatch, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor spoke about “their (Lakers’) sights set for Luka (Doncic) in the future.” However, the Insider mentioned that he feels the deal might not work out “but the Lakers by not trading their future picks clearly are still thinking long-term at this point,” he added.

With his insane numbers and record-breaking performances last season, Luka Doncic has established himself as an asset that every team would want to acquire. Both, the Slovenian’s Mavs and the LA side are desperately chasing for the title. So the combo guard could fit well in the squad, especially with D’Angelo Russell‘s position in the team still being a concern to many fans.

However, convincing the Mavs would be the toughest part, even if Luka Doncic potentially agrees to an offer. Despite the controversy surrounding his weight and declining fitness, he can still rain fire on the rest of league, something we’ll see once the regular season begins.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.