Has Luka Doncic Left Devin Booker in the Dust?

A Christmas miracle knighted the Dallas Mavericks. The Western Conference side faced the Phoenix Suns, a theatric modern-day rivalry fit for the occasion of the festival. Fans at the Suns’ arena expected a night of glitter and gifts facing off against the short-handed Mavs. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker were in an alliance against a lone Luka Doncic. On paper, it was a mismatch, however, the wunderkind struck with his patented magic once again.

Without his accomplice Kyrie Irving, the 24-year-old decorated the stat sheet to burn out the roaring Suns in their own home. He went for 50 points, 6 rebounds, and 15 assists outshining both of his great adversaries. He stole the win right out of a hostile arena that despises him due to his rivalry with Booker.

Speaking off the Suns’ formidable guard, he and Doncic share a history, one marked by hatred. Ever since their infamous 2021 playoff battle, the atmosphere has been tense. Even on Christmas Eve, Booker had his altercation. On the other hand, Doncic was busy battling thousands of fans while putting the franchise on his back.

With all that we have seen in this modern-day rivalry, which player is the better of the tandem?

Devin Booker is a generational talent

Booker is a scoring maniac if there ever was one. Since that day he dropped 70 points, the NBA was put on notice. He was relentless with oozing confidence. Each move of his seems decisive. His mastery over the mid-range gives us shades of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. In today’s game, there are few very with his level of finesse.

Over the past few seasons, we have seen the raw potential of Book. He has proven to be more than just a microwave scorer. If he plays well, the Suns look lethal. As a young prospect, the three-time All-Star only showed potency as a scorer. He kept knocking on the doors of greatness, but the Phoenix Suns were the laughingstock of the NBA.

He has been through the worst with the franchise. And now he is still there, carrying the hopes of a championship alongside one of his idols, Kevin Durant.

Booker is in the middle of his second-best scoring campaign averaging over 27 points for a second straight season. But did we expect anything else from such a prolific offensive beast? It doesn’t astound anyone to know Booker can score. One aspect where he has shown significant improvement is as the primary ball handler. With Chris Paul and backup Cameron Payne both departing, the Suns lacked a playmaker. In the absence of a renounced general, Booker developed the habit of controlling the pace. He is currently dishing out 8.2 assists every night, a career-high by a considerable margin.

If you think he is the typical ‘regular-season player, one would be dead wrong. We saw probably the best of Devin Booker last season when he demolished every opponent with his efficient volume scoring. In 2021, he recorded the most points ever for a player in their first postseason. In the series against the eventual champs, the Denver Nuggets last season, he waded the Suns back into the series with back-to-back historic performances in games three and four.

If we talk NBA history, Booker is sure to rewrite the scoring section. He is becoming a titan who can turn the waves as the only standing force. Off nights are a rare occurrence for Booker, a story for every great player ever. But in contrast, what he does on those other nights is exceptional. Booker is called the successor to Kobe Bryant and a carrier of the Mamba Mentality for a reason. Nothing intimidates him, and he is a force that never stops coming at his opponents.

Unfortunately for him, he is born in the same generation as a talent who recurringly rivals Wilt Chamberlain – Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic is on a different stratosphere altogether

Devin Booker might be the best scorer of the new coming generation. However, the best player nods will most likely be reserved for Luka Doncic. Hailing from Slovenia, he is one guy who makes opponents tremble. It even gets you asking, is there ever a night Doncic isn’t hurting his opponents?

Almost the size of Magic Johnson, his passing brilliance is about equivalent to the Lakers. Then when you factor in his scoring arsenal, it can be compared to the likes of a Dirk Nowitzki, but one with more flair and range. His impact on the Mavericks is irreplaceable. Each time he is out on the floor, you see something amazing. Let it be a dazzling pass or him crossing over his defender, with Doncic it is every night.

And while he belongs to the modern gen, his mentality dates back to old skool basketball. He is the guy who will dare to challenge and entire crowd and leave them in total silence. We saw that against the Suns tonight. Every touch of his was accompanied by loud boos from the crowd. Adding to it, he was facing Booker, an adversary that gets under his skin each time.

But while the Suns fans tried to distract Luka Doncic, he began taunting the crowd after every shot. A logo three in the first half was the highlight play, one that showed the ferocious intent Doncic was carrying on Christmas.

He has been in MVP talks for over three seasons. Similar to Booker, Luka Magic is no stranger to making history. In fact, he beat his arch-nemesis to become the sixth youngest player to reach 10k points in NBA history.

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After so many battles, we can agree that Doncic vs Booker could be the rivalry that dominates the modern era of basketball. Let’s see which of the two has got the upper hand.

A look into Book vs Doncic

When the Suns and Mavericks faced two seasons ago, eyes lit up for the matchup of Booker against Doncic. At that time, there was no bad blood, no prior history of engaging in fights. However, with both men on a mission, the blood began boiling. Two alphas went for each other, but only one could emerge. It was Luka Doncic, and he has eclipsed his rivalry by a far margin.

The seven-game series showed one thing, Doncic shines in the moments where pressure can shrink the most talented. As for Booker, he is yet to prove he can prevail with the odds stacked against him.

When facing each other, Doncic averages better numbers in every major category. Booker does hold the upper hand in the regular season, winning 9 of the 12 encounters against his nemesis. However, the one Game 7 embarrassment continues to haunt his legacy when going up against Doncic. That night, the Suns couldn’t get anything going even when playing in their own arena. Then there was Doncic who said “everyone acting tough when they up” on the brink of elimination and managed to turn the series around.

That day Doncic took over and left the Suns to beg for mercy. He unleashed shot after shot and scored 35 in three quarters. Booker was nowhere to be seen. We saw another instance last season when the Suns faced elimination against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Both Book and KD combined for only 34, the former only adding 11 of those.

That is what separates the two. Luka Doncic is cold-blooded and savors the realm where he isn’t favored. On the other hand, Devin Booker is yet to have that one run where he finished the job. Even when speaking of impact, Doncic can hurt you in more ways than just scoring. He gets his teammates involved, breaks down the entire defense, and allows others to shine. Booker is in the preliminary stages of becoming that all-round player.

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So for now, Luka Doncic is surely the better of the two. But the rivalry is only just brewing. We have many years to assess who will do better. That’s one treat for us NBA fans to enjoy every season.