Luka Dončić’s 2024 NBA Finals Eerily Similar to LeBron James in 2007 (2024)

Luka Dončić is the best young superstar the NBA has seen in quite some time. He has had the type of start to his career that many could only dream of.

At only 25 years old, Dončić has been selected to the All-NBA First Team five times. There are NBA legends out there who have played a full career that cannot claim that accolade.

Dončić won Rookie of the Year and has been a regular fixture in the MVP race since his second season in the league when he finished fourth in the voting. That individual accolade still eludes him despite having a very strong case for it this season.

Dončić just wrapped up his first trip to the NBA Finals as well. Unfortunately, it did not go how he would have desired. The Dallas Mavericks lost the series 4-1 to the Boston Celtics in a gentleman's sweep. Despite Dončić's statistical dominance in the regular season and playoffs, he could not overcome the more established, well-constructed roster. Is any of this starting to sound familiar?

If it does, the name LeBron James is likely to come to mind. James was also an unbelievable superstar almost immediately in his career. Dončić might have James beat in terms of certain individual accolades, but James took his team to the NBA Finals sooner. However, he met a similar fate.

When looking at both players' early cracks at trying to become NBA champions, the similarities start to feel way too familiar.

Built in a Similar Mold

Dončić and James both play the game with a very similar offensive approach and skill set

Before anyone approaches with pitchforks in hand, talking about the very obvious elephant in the room in terms of the difference in athleticism, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had a perfect response to this when speaking to ESPN.

Obviously, Dončić is not the once-in-a-lifetime athlete that LeBron was, but the way they dissect defenses with their IQ and passing is entirely reminiscent of each other. Both of them even do it off the back of a brand of play that can only be described as bully ball at times.

There are very obvious differences between the two. Dončić has more finesse to his game than James did at that stage. He's also a much better player in the post. That should not surprise anyone when revisiting the talk of athleticism. James could much more easily rely on being too fast and too strong for most players to guard.

Dončić has no issues with strength, but his game is much more built around playing a change-of-pace style of basketball to go with his finesse and refined offensive repertoire. That being said, it should be painfully obvious that Dončić modeled his game after James.

Dončić has stated on the record that James was his idol growing up. While he cannot do all the things that James can, he has certainly taken the parts of LeBron's game that are within reach of him and incorporated them into his own playing style.

There are other differences when it comes to the overall games of the two. Dončić in 2024 is a much better shooter than James was in 2007. However, James was the better defender of the two at these comparison stages. Keep this in mind, it will be important.

LeBron James' 2007 NBA Finals

James had his biggest weakness exploited

In 2007, LeBron steamrolled the Eastern Conference for the first of many times to come. The most memorable of those series for anyone would, without doubt, be the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. James had one of his most famous individual performances in that series, scoring 48 points in the pivotal Game 5.

When he and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved on to the NBA Finals, a foe James would soon become very familiar with awaited him: the San Antonio Spurs. James was already one of the best players in the league, but this was a challenge he was not yet prepared for.

The 2007 Cavaliers' playoff success was built on their defensive prowess. They had the second-best defense in the playoffs that season. Offensively, James had a few solid complimentary pieces, but he was mostly a one-man show. The Spurs were ready to put that one-man show to the test.

They backed off James, packing the paint, forcing LeBron to beat them as a jump shooter. As great as he already was, James was not capable of doing that yet. He played right into the Spurs' hands, letting them take advantage of a major weakness in his game. San Antonio won the series, sweeping the Cavaliers.

Luka Dončić's 2024 NBA Finals

Dončić similarly had a weakness of his targeted

This may have been a case where Dončić should not have followed in his role model's footsteps. However, that is what ultimately happened.

A gentleman's sweep is a step up over a sweep, but not by much. There is a bit of a similar story regarding Dončić and James on the offensive side of the ball in terms of the supporting cast. However, Kyrie Irving is a much better player than anyone the Cavaliers had in 2007.

The main story here is that of weaknesses being targeted. For James, it was his shooting, and for Dončić, it was his defense.

Dončić's deficiencies on the defensive end have probably been a touch overblown in these NBA Finals. However, it was clear that the Celtics were targeting him at that end.

Dončić was carrying a usage percentage of 33.4 in the playoffs. He was no stranger to slightly questionable efforts on the defensive end as a result. The Celtics made him pay for that, similarly to how James paid for his shooting woes.

There may be a consolation in all of this for Dončić. If he is truly following in the path of James, he is one more painful hardship in the NBA Finals away from having the championship floodgates opening while he becomes the next face of the league.

Stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.