At 33 years old and in his 16th season, LeBron James is starting to play against rookies who grew up watching and idolizing him. One of them is Luka Doncic, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and has gotten off to a strong start.
Through seven games with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic is averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 35.7 minutes.
Ahead of the Lakers hosting the Mavericks, James is not surprised by Doncic’s early play and believes European players have an edge over American players, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:
“I think European players develop faster than NBA guys, meaning American players.