Last season, the MVP award was won by Nikola Jokic , making it the third in four seasons for the Serbian. The scoring title was won by Luka Doncic , who averaged 33.9 points per game, which is the second highest in 18 years behind James Harden in 2018-19 (36.1 points per game). European players are up there or within reach when you look at other stats like assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals.
The debate
Doncic leading the league in scoring doesn't come as a surprise or a fluke. The Dallas Mavericks star already holds four of the five scoring records for the franchise, and in no distant future, he could claim all five. The Slovenian came straight from an MVP-winning EuroLeague season to the NBA in 2018, and since then, he has become a scoring machine, averaging 28.7 points in just six seasons in the NBA.
So when he says that scoring in the American league is easier than scoring in Europe , he will be supported, considering he has had first-hand experience playing in both. Former NBA star Evan Fournier , who moved back to Europe after 14 years in the NBA, backs up that claim.
"In the NBA, there are better defenders on the ball, players who can chase you faster on the perimeter," the Frenchman said of the NBA. "But if you can beat your defender, it is easier to make a basket in the NBA than in Europe. This is why players like Luka Doncic say it is easier to score in the NBA: he beats his man every play. In Europe, if you beat your man, you have a second and third defender right there to help."
It's not just the defense; there are rules, such as the defensive three-second rule, that don't allow players to remain in the paint for more than three seconds; this is not present in the EuroLeague. Players like Luka found a loophole to score more points even against the league's best defenders, like his step-back 3-pointer game-winner over 7'1" Rudy Gobert to win Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals for the Mavericks.
Related: "He has 47 kids in the Philippines, and I'm the oldest one" - When Dennis Rodman broke down during his Hall of Fame speech
European system
It's nothing against the NBA that these European players dominate and are more highly sought after than before. The last two NBA drafts have seen French players come in first overall, and this year even witnessed two French prospects drafted No. 1 and 2 in the draft.
Young prospects coming from Europe are trained to play an all-round game. There's the junior EuroLeague, or the Next Generation Tournament, and numerous other youth tournaments, which makes it easier for them to adapt to the NBA environment, which is more centered on star talents than team play. It's why the likes of Doncic, Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama are the star players of their respective teams.
Related: EuroLeague champion coach Ergin Ataman challenges Boston for the 'World Champion' title: "They see themselves very highly"
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