Dwyane Wade: Luka Doncic's passing skills are 'LeBron James-like'

WNBA and women's college basketball reporter

Thu, 14 Feb 2019, 10:20 am

The Dwyane Wade retirement tour swung through American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, where the star re-enacted the final seconds of his first NBA championship and shared some kind words about a younger NBA star.

Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Luka Doncic was one assist shy of a triple-double in the team’s 112-101 loss to Wade’s Miami Heat. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, the latter of which stuck out to Wade when he spoke to reporters after the game.

Luka Doncic got big praise from a retiring veteran. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

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Per Tim Cato of The Athletic:

“Quote me right where I say this — it’s LeBron James-like from the standpoint of how he’s able to rope that pass to shooters in corners, getting blitzed. There’s not many guys who can do that and put it right there. He does an amazing job of it.”

The rookie is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Those passes he’s making aren’t simple and come from a few years of experience at the professional level. The 19-year-old led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title and won MVP honors.

Luka finds Salah with the fancy pass! pic.twitter.com/3elQTfSGwI
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 14, 2019

Wade played four years with James, who averages 7.2 assists per game over his career. The two made the Finals each year and won back-to-back titles with the Heat.

The words are high praise for the rookie, who will soon get more help on the court. The Mavs (26-31) got Kristaps Porzingis in a trade earlier this month and he’ll surely enjoy being the beneficiary of such “LeBron James-like” skills.