The Tape
Was Luka Doncic better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Luka Doncic, 2018-present, against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2018-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, their best seasons score the same: Luka Doncic at 33.8 a game in 2023-24, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 32.9 in 2024-25. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Luka Doncic wins the glass by 4.2 rebounds a game (9.2 to 5), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
Luka Doncic is the passer: 9.8 assists a game to 6.4, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Luka Doncic: The heaviest offensive load in the league, carried at walking pace on purpose. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: An MVP and a title in the same season, built on the most efficient mid-range diet since the rules changed.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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