NBA Player Rankings: Using advanced stats to rank top 5 playmakers

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic had a criminally underrated season this year, as he averaged around 32 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists per game on 60.9% true shooting. Sure, the Dallas Mavericks had an underwhelming season, missing the playoffs entirely, but it wasn’t because of Doncic, who was one of the best players in the league.

Luka Doncic has undeniably been one of the best offensive players in the NBA for a while now, and his proficiency as a passer is unreal for his age. At just 24 years old, he’s already in the conversation for the best passer in the world.

Last season, he had an assist rate of 42.3%, which ranked fifth in the league. This isn’t new territory, as he’s had an assist rate of at least 40% in each of the last four seasons. His assist numbers don’t do him justice, though, as they undersell just how many shots he creates for his teammates.

Last season, he ranked fourth in box creation, and he has two of the top 10 seasons in this metric going back to 2020. Even this stat might be underselling his playmaking ability, though, as his 2021 season ranks number one in BBall Index’s playmaking talent metric since 2020.

What makes his production really impressive is that he gets even better in the playoffs. His career assist rate is actually better in the postseason, and a big reason why is that his scoring average is also better, and his scoring efficiency stays the same. The fact that he is such a dominant scorer in the playoffs allows him to weaponize his passing even more because opposing defenses have to devote so much attention to him.

Unfortunately, Luka Doncic is extremely ball-dominant, and this hurts his case to be the best playmaker in the league because his offensive skillset is not very portable. It would be hard for him to be this effective offensively if he played on a team with other talented ball handlers that forced him to play off-ball more often. He simply doesn’t have the skills to thrive in this role.

You can make a case that Luka Doncic is the best playmaker in the league. Still, you have to split hairs when having this conversation, and his inability to play without the ball would almost certainly limit him to some degree if he played in a different offense.