A common inquiry around NBA circles this offseason revolved around Luka Doncic’s ceiling. Even after his historically great rookie season, one that goes toe-to-toe with Lebron James’ as the best of the century, there were doubts about how much he could realistically improve. His experience and decoration internationally made his seamless transition to the NBA unsurprising, but his skill set was already so polished, and he lacked the natural burst and athleticism to lead some to believe that he had a few more levels to reach.

Doncic has wasted no time dispelling that notion. The WonderBoy is averaging 27.7 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.1 assists through Dallas’ first nine games. He’s scoring efficiently (he sports a 60.9 True Shooting percentage) and is orchestrating the league’s top offense (Dallas is scoring 112.8 points per 100 possessions). Amongst the 25 players running at least seven pick and rolls per game, Doncic ranks fifth in efficiency, generating 1.07 points per possessions in such scenarios per Synergy Sports. He flaunts a craftiness in screen and rolls that veteran point guards envy: here, he uses a faint head fake to momentarily freeze Powell’s man before dumping it off for an easy layup. Doncic breezily threads the needle do Dallas’ assortment of rim-runners, tosses lobs with razor-sharp accuracy and velocity, and cannons cross-court dimes to shooters in the corners in his sleep. He’s one of the five best passers in the league already.

He’s offsetting his passing brilliance with a vastly improved scoring diet. His go-to move, a step-back three to his left, is already instilling hilarious fear out of opposing defenses. Doncic doesn’t have a first step akin to James Harden or the explosiveness of Ben Simmons, but he does have one physical trait that he uses to his advantage: his size. When he gets a guard switched on to him, Doncic knows to use every bit of his 6’7″, 220-pound frame to bully his way to the paint. He’s also finishing better at the rim in a short sample this season (70 percent, up from 63 percent last season per Basketball Reference).

The fully realized version of Luka Doncic is the most valuable type of player to have in the NBA- the big wing who dominates the ball and demands defensive attention any time he touches it, and isn’t a complete defensive liability. As Kristaps Porzingis becomes more comfortable in Dallas’ offense, his absurd production is bound to take a dip (he’s currently leading the league in touches per game with 102.99, per Second Spectrum, and has a usage percentage similar to the later years of Lebron’s first Cavs stint). But Doncic has cemented himself as a transcendent young talent this season, and as Dallas marches toward postseason contention, he’s putting the ink of the first few chapters of his NBA legacy to paper.

– Andrew Quinlan