where do you rank luka currently?

[Bronbron23]

I have him 4th behind bron, greek and kawhi. Id have him 5th if durant was back and healthy but he's coming off a Achilles injury which i dont think he'll fully come back from. If he could improve defensively i'd have him 2nd behind bron. Hes better offensively than kawhi and greek but they're so much better defensively i have them slightly ahead of him.

[Phoenix]

I need a solid playoff run or two before I'm ready to rank him top 5 over more accomplished players. Luka's clearly a transcendent talent and well ahead of the curve for his age and experience, but I personally need to see a little larger body of work. By ranking him 4th as you have you're saying he warrants being ahead of guys like Harden or even Dame based on how he's playing now. It's not a question of talent, but I'm not ready to go there yet.

[Bronbron23]

I need a solid playoff run or two before I'm ready to rank him top 5 over more accomplished players. Luka's clearly a transcendent talent and well ahead of the curve for his age and experience, but I personally need to see a little larger body of work. By ranking him 4th as you have you're saying he warrants being ahead of guys like Harden or even Dame based on how he's playing now. It's not a question of talent, but I'm not ready to go there yet.

Thats fair. I just think hes a better playmaker than dame while being equal as a scorer. Both are shit defensively. As far as harden its probably just my bias tbh. I actually like luka and cant stand harden. I do think luka is a better decision maker. Harden is probably a slightly better scorer and defender which isnt saying much for luka.

[ImKobe]

Top 5-10 player. Obviously not quite the best player material just yet, but he's getting there. 1 or 2 more seasons and he'll be in the running for MVP. Just wait til he becomes a 80+%FT shooter & 35+% from 3.

[Phoenix]

Thats fair. I just think hes a better playmaker than dame while being equal as a scorer. Both are shit defensively. As far as harden its probably just my bias tbh. I actually like luka and cant stand harden. I do think luka is a better decision maker. Harden is probably a slightly better scorer and defender which isnt saying much for luka.

I think you could say he's a better 'offensive player' taking overall playmaking into account. As a scorer this year Dame is 30ppg on 46/40/89% 63% TS, Luka is 29ppg on 46/32/76% 59% TS. By the metrics we usually apply I would say Dame has the edge being a better 3point and free throw shooter. I think if Luka, even in a likely losing effort, has a good showing against the Clippers considering their perimeter defenders, he can prove alot. He broke the record for playoff debut scoring last night with 42, so that's a good sign. Needs to cut down on the turnovers but I think adjusting to the playoff pressure will mostly handle that over time. Which is really what he needs now, time.

[Bronbron23]

I think you could say he's a better 'offensive player' taking overall playmaking into account. As a scorer this year Dame is 30ppg on 46/40/89% 63% TS, Luka is 29ppg on 46/32/76% 59% TS. By the metrics we usually apply I would say Dame has the edge being a better 3point and free throw shooter. I think if Luka, even in a likely losing effort, has a good showing against the Clippers considering their perimeter defenders, he can prove alot. He broke the record for playoff debut scoring last night with 42, so that's a good sign. Needs to cut down on the turnovers but I think adjusting to the playoff pressure will mostly handle that over time. Which is really what he needs now, time.

Yeah time will tell. Hes gonna fill up the stat sheet alot like bron does. Bron was elite defensively when he won his chips though and im not sure luka could ever be anywhere close to bron defensively. This is why i dont see him winning multiple chips and being in the goat convo. With the right defensive pieces around him to make up for his deficiencies i could see him maybe getting 1 or 2 wich would put him in the bird discussion

[NBAGOAT]

maybe 5 I'm not putting him over harden. could not be 5 next year depending on curry and durant.

[Phoenix]

maybe 5 I'm not putting him over harden. could not be 5 next year depending on curry and durant.

That's the other issue. You got two top 5 talents that basically haven't played the entire year. Assuming they return next year even at the levels they were last year( jury is out on Durant as far as his recovery), that further muddied the water. Reality is we have alot or guys that are mostly on the same level.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

maybe 5 I'm not putting him over harden. could not be 5 next year depending on curry and durant.

Same seintiment here. Somewhere near that group but not exactly top 5.

Bron/Greek/KL/Harden/AD/KD/Dame/Curry are still probably better rn. Lets see how the postseason plays out.

[Marchesk]

If defense matters, then you have to rank AD over him. The Mavs are a 7th seed, not some 60 win team, in case someone wants to mention ADs teams in NO. Also Dame and Harden deserve mentions before Luka. And, Paul George given he's a much better defender.

Here's an interesting question. Is Luka more impactful on team success than Jimmy Butler the past couple seasons?

[NBAGOAT]

Same seintiment here. Somewhere near that group but not exactly top 5.

Bron/Greek/KL/Harden/AD/KD/Dame/Curry are still probably better rn. Lets see how the postseason plays out.

yea the ad/dame range isnt too certain though i dont think dame is as good. It's not inconceivable jokic or embiid could be debatable next year because they have completely different roles and embiid has the all-nba defense. I dont think luka falls below anyone else

[ncrizzle]

Absolutely top 10. Closer to 5 as long as he doesnt play significantly worse than in the regular season during the playoffs

[NBAGOAT]

If defense matters, then you have to rank AD over him. The Mavs are a 7th seed, not some 60 win team, in case someone wants to mention ADs teams in NO. Also Dame and Harden deserve mentions before Luka. And, Paul George given he's a much better defender.

Here's an interesting question. Is Luka more impactful on team success than Jimmy Butler the past couple seasons?

i like jimmy would've put him on dame's level pre bubble and over george most years besides last year. still dont think jimmy's impact in minny and philly was luka's level. his impact in minny was great but he missed 20 games that discounts him. philly had a stacked starting 5 and had a mediocre srs during the rs. Mia is a bit underrated around him, bam is the next draymond and they have shot creators shooters and wing defenders(unlike dallas). Jimmy also's one of the worst shooters in the league because of his wrist injury and that caps how good he is running an offense.

Impact metrics bear that out. Jimmy wasnt even top 20 across the 4 impact metrics(pipm, rpm, bpm, raptor). This year luka's 5th after giannis, lebron, harden, giannis. Butler was 10-15. Both match conventional rankings too. Edit: tbf srs might be overrating dallas because of how unclutch they are but I tend to think clutch stuff during the rs balances out a bit in the long run. Imo, they could definitely beat any of the 3-6 seeds in the west

[Marchesk]

I forgot Embiid.

[StrongLurk]

KD (assuming he returns to form), Curry, Bron, Kawhi, Harden, AD, Giannis.

I'm taking those guys over Luka right now.