Team Luka? Team Ja? Doncic, Morant show more similarity than rivalry before Mavs-Grizzlies

The first word Luka Doncic spoke Friday when asked to describe Ja Morant’s game wasn’t safe to print in a family newspaper.

Perhaps that’s what happens when the Mavericks watch video in preparation for facing speedster Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday in their home opener just before Doncic sat down with reporters.

But for all the high-flying, brash highlights and declarations Morant parades throughout the country each season, Doncic with his methodical, media-reticent approach has more winning similarities with Morant than might be obvious on the court.

Just don’t call it a head-to-head rivalry.

Or compare their styles.

“He can do everything,” Doncic said of Morant. “Obviously he’s one of the fastest guys out there, but since the first year, he’s improved a lot, his shooting, his play-making. So he’s a really complete player, and he’s going to be really hard to stop.”

Sounds like Doncic might also be describing himself as a player who’s skyrocketed up individual rankings and racked up league-wide accolades since his 2018-19 Rookie of the Year debut, a year earlier than Morant’s?

“No,” Doncic deadpanned. “I’m not fast.”

For much of last year, fans and outsiders often compared Doncic and Morant’s accomplishments, fostering chatter and debate as if only one of two sides could be the correct choice.

On one: Morant was selected All-Star starter in the Western Conference backcourt over Doncic in all three aspects of the vote — fan, player and media. The Grizzlies became the NBA’s surprise darling while recording the second-best record in either conference, rising from the play-in tournament a year earlier.

On the other: Doncic overcame a slow start for the Mavericks to play the last three months of the regular season at an MVP, career-best level. Dallas beat Memphis head-to-head in three of four matchups, including both with Doncic and Morant active, and played upset underdog en route to the Western Conference finals.

Team Luka?

Team Ja?

Most in American Airlines Center on Saturday night will no doubt take the former.

But Doncic doesn’t view it the same.

“Probably some players do think about supposed rivalries with individual opponents,” Doncic said. “I don’t. I mean, every game’s really important. I think the West is stacked, so every game is going to matter to get in the playoffs, so you have to be ready to go and give 100% every game.”

Mavericks fans might already be familiar with Morant’s electric Year 4 expectations after watching him propel the Grizzlies to an overtime victory over the Knicks (and former Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson) Wednesday night on the ESPN broadcast just before the Dallas-Phoenix opening tip.

Doncic then started Year 5 with more crafty finesse, finishes on isolations and post-ups, and intricate passing.

Maybe not as unexpectedly entertaining for casual viewers as Morant’s sprinting flair, but Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has recognized a clear connection between the two young stars’ approaches.

“It’s all about winning,” Kidd said. “The best players in this league are about winning.”

No debate there.

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Kidd is among the many in the NBA mourning former referee Tony Brown, who died Thursday at age 55 from complications with pancreatic cancer.

According to the NBA, Brown officiated 1,110 regular-season games and 35 playoff games over 20 years — many of those games included Kidd as a point guard or coach.

Kidd last spoke to Brown just before training camp started — when assistant coach Darrell Armstrong called Brown on FaceTime while the Mavericks’ coaching staff was together at a Notre Dame football game — and he recalled Brown’s “good spirits” and jokes.

“What an incredible guy, no matter how you look at him as a referee, but just a great human being,” Kidd said. “That was the last time I got to talk to him and see him, and that just shows how life can be fragile. Again, our prayers go out to his family.”

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