After another incredible season for the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic is becoming one of the biggest faces of the NBA at just 22 years of age. It is no surprise that he was picked as the star cover for NBA 2K22 .
In just his third year in the league, he averaged 27.7 points per game on nearly 48% shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and 8.6 assists.
In the postseason, he faced The Los Angeles Clippers for the second year in a row where he gave it his best against a much more talented team. He managed to win two games on the road to start the series and pushed the series to seven games.
Cover for NBA 2K22 | The Marvelous Slovenian
Luka’s sidekick, Kristaps Porzingis, was a shell of himself as he only averaged 13.1 points per game in that series. Tim Hardaway Jr. looked to be the second best guy on the team as he averaged 17 points per game. Ultimately, however, it was not enough and Dallas was sent home.
Once they came up short, The Mavericks and longtime coach, Rick Carslisle, mutually decided to part ways. Owner Mark Cuban, decided to hire Jason Kidd as his replacement, who is known to be a favorite amongst players around the NBA.
Based on his coaching style and relationship with Doncic, I expect Luka to have an even better year next season which is scary to think about.
Considering all that Doncic has accomplished just after three years in the league, it is hard to argue that Luka should not have been on the cover for 2K.
If you look at previous years, 2K has featured other young stars such as Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc.
For context, players like Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Duarnt, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George have already been on the cover as well which takes them out of the conversation.
I presume guys like Kawhi Leonard, Tray Young, Devin Booker, Donavan Mitchell, Nikola Jokic, etc. all have legitimate cases to be on the cover as well.
The one thing is to keep in mind however, is that 2K tends to select guys who not only play exceptional on the court, but have big personalities off the court. Guys that are in the spotlight with the media, instagram, etc. all get recognized heavily as well.
One of 2K’s main goals is for non-NBA fans to still know who the player is on the cover.
Luka Doncic was the Logical Choice
That is why a guy like Kawhi Leonard, who is known to be a monotone player would not be an ideal fit for the cover. Tray Young has a case considering how far he took the Hawks this year, but it would be a major insult to Luka to put Young before him considering Doncic has had a bigger impact on the league thus far.
Booker and Mitchell are both stars in their own rights, but have not been the center of attention like Luka has. Lastly, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets do not get as much press as The Dallas Mavericks and Luka does.
This is why I believe Doncic was the logical choice to be picked as the cover for NBA 2K22 this year over his contemporaries.
