For the vast majority of their careers, it looked like Doncic had SGA beat<\/a>. After all, he made five All-NBA First Teams in a row, finished in the top three in the MVP vote three times, and dragged the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> to the 2024 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n However, this season, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first to win MVP and the first to add a ring<\/a>, passing Doncic for the title of best player in the loaded draft class, although that doesn\u2019t mean that Doncic is behind.<\/p>\n Doncic is nearly a full year younger than SGA, and he made his first All-Star Game in his second season. It took Gilgeous-Alexander five seasons to reach that mark.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Luka overcorrection negativity has gone too far,\u201d argued Nick Wright. \u201cThe five best players in the league: Jokic is 30 and won his title at 28. Giannis is 30 and won his title at 26. Tatum is 27 and won his title at 26. Shai is 26, turns 27 in two weeks, and he just won the title. Luka, the youngest of all of them, is 26.\u201d<\/p>\n Both LeBron James and Michael Jordan were 27 when they won their first title, and Stephen Curry was 26 years old. The idea that, in his first few seasons, a player can lead a title squad is simply ridiculous. Since players enter the league at 18 or 19 years old, most of their development is happening on the biggest stage<\/a>, not in college.<\/p>\n There is also an argument to be made that since Doncic dominated the league so early, some fans don\u2019t realize that he and SGA entered the league at the same time. In the collective memory, he is older than he is.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that he is behind schedule or off schedule is incorrect,\u201d Wright continued. \u201cRight now, Shai\u2019s star could not be shining brighter. I get that, and he deserves it. However, we can\u2019t compare Luka\u2019s and Shai\u2019s career numbers because Luka was good instantly, and Shai grew into it. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, if we simply take the last two years for Shai, which are by far and away the best two years of his career, and compare them to the last two years for Luka, which include far and away the worst year of his career, the numbers are identical. Luka beats him in assists considerably and rebounds by a bit, but the scoring and efficiencies are identical.\u201d<\/p>\n On top of that, SGA has had more support<\/a>. One can argue that Kyrie Irving is a better player than Jalen Williams, although Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, and Isaiah Hartenstein are all better than Luka\u2019s best teammates<\/a> in Dallas.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Luka Doncic\u2019s clock is ticking<\/p>\n While Wright makes some excellent points, Doncic does need to prove that he is a winner.<\/p>\n The Western Conference is excellent, and with the Houston Rockets improving, the San Antonio Spurs on the rise, and the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves not going anywhere, Doncic doesn\u2019t have the luxury to wait around until the old guard retires.<\/p>\n On paper, though, Doncic has been a better player than SGA, even recently.<\/p>\n PlayerPPGRPGAPGFG%3PT%SPGLuka Doncic31.58.88.947.3%37.6%1.6Shai Gilgeous-Alexander31.45.36.352.7%36.6%1.9Luka vs. Shai: Last two seasons<\/p>\n![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2208656052-1-941x627.jpg\")
Photo by Joshua Gateley\/Getty ImagesNick Wright defends Luka Doncic<\/p>\n