PHILADELPHIA–As the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks prepared for battle in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday, there was a lot that went into this game.
While the two teams are in opposite conferences, they have two stars in James Harden for Philadelphia and Luka Doncic for Dallas who are somewhat similar.
Both players are elite scorers, playmakers, and rebounders and they are also guys teams can’t speed up. The two of them are elite at holding onto the ball and making the opposition play at their pace in order to get their offense.
Before the game, which turned out to be a Sixers win, coach Doc Rivers and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd saw some similarities in the two stars.
“They have so many similarities, it’s unbelievable,” said Rivers. “I think for a while there, it was Luka or James leading the league in time of possession. I thought most people probably thought it was James, it was actually Luka for the last three or four years with the ball in his hands. You can pressure them, you can double team them, they’re just not gonna speed up for you. You’re not gonna speed them up, either one of them.”
To Rivers’ point, Doncic leads the league in time per possession at 9.4 seconds and Harden is right behind him at 9.3 per NBA stars. The two of them are elite at manipulating the defense.
“They know their rhythm, they know what they’re trying to do, and that’s why they’re the best in the league of understanding how to get to their spots and they’re very successful when they get to their spots,” said Kidd. “It’s cool that you have two guys who aren’t going extremely fast, but are still dangerous of being able to get to their spots. Harden and Luka having the ball, they’re tough because you always gotta send two guys at them.”
The only real difference is the age between the two of them. Harden is 32-years old and Doncic is only 23, but there is no question that the two of them are at the top of the league in terms of being able to do everything out on the floor.
“The difference is James’ age,” Rivers laughed. “Luka is 20-whatever, he came in the league with that. That’s unusual. It’s the first thing we saw when we saw him play in the NBA. The guy moves like a veteran, he plays like a veteran, he’s already at NBA speed, and each year, he’s becoming a better shooter each year. A great finisher, he’s just tough. He’s a tough cover.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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