The NBA mediasphere is collectively running of plaudits for Luka Doncic; every time it seems like he’s summited a new height of basketball greatness, within days he exceeds himself by doing something that has never been done in the history of the game. In this case the 23 year old superstar secured the first ever 60 point, 20 rebound, 10 assist game in a thrilling overtime win against the New York Knicks. This type of gaudy statline evokes only one name, the GOAT of GOATs Wilt Chamberlain, who routinely tops every NBA record, every stat, and every achievement, but even Chamberlain at his greatest never racked up 60-20-10 in a game, and Doncic only in his fifth season is staking his claim upon basketball Olympus.
(By cosmic coincidence Wilt had arguably his own greatest game against the New York Knicks as well - scoring 100 points against the Knickerbockers on March 2nd, 1962)
Doncic’s achievement is hard to put into perspective: it was only the second 60 point triple double ever, after James Harden first achieved the feat in 2018, and the 15th 50 point triple double. That’s an accomplishment rarer than throwing a perfect game in baseball, of which there are 23 - each considered to be seminal and defining and legendary in baseball’s long, grand history.
The thing about Doncic is that it just looks easy for him. He’s not the fastest or most athletic player on the court; rarely does he utilize flashy moves to humiliate defenders, he simply uses his body and handle to effectively get to his spots, and then knocks down the shots he’s supposed to make. He makes the right basketball decision, the right basketball play, every time, hundreds of times per game. Not to say Luka isn’t transcendentally skilled, but his most effective tool is the way he throws around his body weight; with his back to the basket Luka plays unlike any player in the league. To be that silky smooth while bodying a defender and making space for a turnaround jumper or outlet pass is no easy thing, but it’s such an intangible part of Luka’s game that defenses are forced to respect him and his shot from virtually everywhere on the court, which makes scoring and passing from anywhere on the court that much simpler.
This wasn’t just an MVP type performance, it was an all-time great game. By ESPN’s “Game Score” metric it was the 5th best game of all time, and by the eye test too it was a near perfect performance that no other player in the league right now would be capable of replicating. Doncic is a complete player who excels in every phase of the game, but the scary thing is he still has room for improvement. Who knows where the Slovenian superstar’s ceiling really is?
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