NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving believes that Dallas Mavericks sophomore Luka Doncic is the perfect player to become the next face of the franchise. In his interview with Fanatic View, Dr. J. praised Doncic, who had a great rookie season with the Mavs. He also believes that the Rookie of the Year winner has all the qualities to replace Dallas’ former superstar Dirk Nowitzki.

”Luka is probably not top-ten yet. He has one year in the league and had a great year as a rookie and was phenomenal. Sometimes it could happen quickly for a guy years one through three more so in my estimation when a guy is in the league. His fourth and fifth year is when you really what you got. The fact that he started playing professionally at age 16 or 17 hasn’t hurt him so he might be an early bloomer than some of the guys, who go to the universities in the U.S. The one and done guys, but he had a great season, and he is a great replacement for Dirk.”

Last season, Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. He was so good that he almost made it to the All-Star team in just his first year in the NBA. This upcoming season, the Mavs will be expecting more from their Slovenian star as they attempt to compete for a playoff spot.

If Luka will continue to improve his game at a high rate, there’s a huge possibility for him to become the best player in the NBA within the next couple of years. Nowitzki once held that status during his prime, and maybe, just maybe, Doncic could follow suit.