Magic and Bird, LeBron and Steph, Russell and Chamberlain. Over the course of decades, there have been numerous rivalries within the NBA due to the skill sets and matchups throughout the regular and postseasons.
Nowadays, with the heightened use of social media, people are continuously trying to write certain narratives and place players against each other that may not even be warranted.
In a recent interview with Dallas Mavericks' center Dereck Lively II on 'Nike EYBL Free Game' show, Lively was asked who has a 'deeper bag', Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Of course, Lively backed up his star teammate, stating "Who won that matchup".
Lively is obviously referring to the Western Conference Semifinals series where the Mavericks defeated the Thunder in six games. While this may be true, that was a team effort, and the Mavs had much more experience at the time. Moreover, the question was referring to who was better, and recent statistics side with SGA.
This past season, Shai placed second in MVP voting, 12th in Most Improved Player, third in Clutch Player of the Year, and seventh in Defensive Player of the Year averaging 30 points, six assists and six rebounds.
While Luka was also a part of the MVP and CPOY votings, he placed behind Shai in each count.
Now, Luka may have averaged more points, assists, and rebounds than Shai, having a 'deeper bag' is about skill sets. More specifically, how you score the ball, the way you handle the ball, and impact on both sides of the ball.
Not only did Shai lead the league in total drives last season, but his ability to score from the midrange and three, as well as lead the league in steals, shows that his 'bag' is much larger than Luka's.
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