Rick Carlisle has coached some of the greatest players in NBA history, including a 14-time NBA All-Star. But on Friday night, the Indiana Pacers head coach made something very clear: nobody he has ever worked with compares to Luka Dončić.
Rick Carlisle Feels It is “Hell” Coaching Against Luka Dončić
The context here matters. Carlisle didn’t just coach Dirk Nowitzki; together, they won the 2011 NBA championship in Dallas. A Hall of Famer, seventh on the all-time scoring list, Nowitzki is widely regarded as one of the greatest European players the game has ever seen.
And yet, when asked ahead of Friday’s Lakers-Pacers matchup how he would rank Dončić, Carlisle didn’t hesitate.
“Luka is just … he’s the extra special of the most extra special.”
He went further, naming Dončić the greatest player he has ever coached and predicting that a league MVP award is inevitable. “He’s the greatest player I’ve ever coached… He’ll be an MVP. You show me a great player who isn’t stubborn and doesn’t get pissed off at things, I’ll show you somebody who isn’t a great player.”
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On what it’s like to be on the opposing bench when Dončić is locked in, Carlisle was equally blunt. “It’s hell, really, because he’s impossible to gameplan for. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player that controls an NBA game the way he does.”
“You can’t speed him [Dončić] up. You can’t slow him down. If you think double teaming is the answer, it’s not… when you double team him, things get worse because everyone else gets going and there are wide open shots all over the place,” the Pacers head coach went on to add.
Dončić went out and proved every word of it. He torched the Pacers for 44 points on 14-of-25 shooting, including 7 three-pointers, with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the Lakers to a 128-117 win without LeBron James.
By the third quarter, Carlisle stood stoic on his bench, watching a Dončić fadeaway three drop in, another reminder of what life looked like from the other side.
Doncic and Carlisle Have a Complicated Past, But an Uncomplicated Verdict
What makes Carlisle’s praise particularly striking is its historical context. Their time together in Dallas did not end smoothly. Reports from 2021 detailed a fractured dynamic in their final season, with Dončić reportedly unhappy about the way Carlisle treated other players and staff.
One unnamed player from that Mavericks roster told ESPN that Dončić “hated how Rick treated other people.” Their relationship had reportedly grown too strained to repair before Carlisle stepped down in June 2021.
And yet, none of that appears to have colored Carlisle’s assessment of Dončić’s abilities. If anything, the passage of time has only sharpened his appreciation.
Lakers coach JJ Redick echoed the sentiment from his own vantage point. “He can make every shot. He’s a shot maker, but he’s also a playmaker. He has the ability, whether he’s in single or double coverage, to make reads and create open shots for his teammates. He’s done this for seven years now. He’s seen every coverage.”
Dončić now leads the league with 32.3 points per game and ranks third in assists at 8.6. He became just the fourth player in Lakers history to score 40 points in at least 10 games in a single season, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West.
