Allen Iverson made an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith show last month, and Smith asked the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar which current NBA players he would’ve played with if he could. After naming
Shaquille O’Neal, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic, Iverson made a pick that shocked Smith, but will delight Dallas Mavericks fans.
“Luka,” Iverson said. “Straight killer.”
Yes, Luka Doncic is with the Los Angeles Lakers now, but for Mavericks fans, he’ll always be one of our own. So hearing a NBA great like Iverson, one of the best point guards to play in the last 25 years, say he wishes he could play with Luka is just more validation of how great Doncic is.
Picturing Iverson and Doncic sharing the court is a basketball fan’s dream. Would it actually work? Who knows, but it would be fun to see. The two electric superstars couldn’t be more opposite, both in style and physicality.
Iverson was small and quick, darting around the court in such a singular way there’s something called an Iverson Cut in basketball playbooks. Despite his size, he attacked the paint with ferocity, and took shots that would be bad for any player but himself. He looked to score first, second, and third, but could set up his teammates, too.
Doncic, on the other hand, is slow and methodical. He takes his time picking apart opponents, searching for the best basketball play available. Sometimes that’s a pass that seems to teleport from one side of the court to the other, and sometimes it’s a step-back 3-pointer from way too deep. Doncic uses his size instead of speed to get to where he wants to be on the court, deftly nudging opponents to places where their best defense won’t matter.
Despite their physical differences, Iverson and Doncic are alike in the way they approach scoring—a relentless, maniacal desire to get the ball in the hoop. The basket calls to them both, as a challenge, as a desire, as the end game of it all. Maybe to their detriment on the defensive end.
The more levelheaded fan might worry about two ball dominant guards sharing the court. Stephen A. Smith voiced such a concern. Iverson dismissed it.
“How are you gonna get the ball?” Smith asked.
“I know what to do with it when I get,” Iverson replied. “You put me on the court with that…serial killer, you got problems.”
It’s impossible to know if a backcourt of Iverson and Doncic would be successful, in today’s NBA or in the past, but it’s the type of thing you try out on NBA2k. It’s something you argue with your buddies about at a cookout. Players like Iverson and Doncic play in such a way that it sparks your imagination. They leave you smiling about a What If that could never happen, but you write about it anyway.
