Recent article confused Luka Dončić and Donte DiVincenzo in the most hilarious way

Recently, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić graced the cover of Men’s Health. The story title Luka Dončić 2.0 Has Entered the Chat discussed Luka’s improved conditioning and physique. This has long been a point of contention for Dončić, especially after being controversially traded from the Dallas Mavericks. There was plenty of amazing content in this article. 

However, there was one crucial and hilarious error: the article said that Luka’s vertical was 42 inches. Everyone who has watched Luka knows this simply can’t be true. It turns out that the author likely mixed up Luka and Donte DiVincenzo’s verticals, based on information from Google AI. While this mistake has been corrected to say improved vertical, it’s still amusing given Luka's subpar athleticism. It’s also worth noting that Dončić never attended the draft combine, so his exact vertical measurements are unknown. 

Luka is far from an elite athlete

Luka is a top-five player in the league, and while his conditioning appears to be improved, he has nowhere near a 42-inch vertical. Dončić has career averages of 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. He incredibly already has five All-NBA first-teams in just seven years, and if he played more games this past season, he would likely have six. 

Dončić’s basketball-IQ makes him one of the league’s best players. With elite court vision, he is a stellar passer who elevates his teammates. Dončić is also a gifted and crafty shot creator and one of the league’s best difficult shot makers. However, none of Dončić’s greatness is connected to athleticism, which has long been known as a weakness.

Notably, Luka has 72 career dunks, but just three of these are in the past two seasons. While Dončić losing some weight will help him, especially as a defender, and it could have improved his vertical, he will never have elite athleticism. Maybe his number of dunks will go up a bit; however, this will never be a key part of his game. 

It is a fun thought experiment to think about what Luka would look like with a 42-inch vertical. In this scenario, he’d likely be the league’s best player, averaging close to 40 points per game, and I don’t think that’s hyperbolic given how great of a scorer he is with subpar athleticism. 

DiVincenzo is an underrated athlete

DiVincenzo’s 42-inch vertical tied Josh Okogie for a Draft Combine high in 2018. Since DiVincenzo and Luka are in the same draft class, this is likely the root of the Google AI mix-up. Nevertheless, this serves as a reminder to double-check your facts. 

Elite athleticism isn’t something most people typically think of with DiVincenzo, as he is mainly known as a sharpshooter. Regardless, it’s something he possesses. DiVincenzo uses his speed and athleticism to attack the rim both in the half-court and transition.

While DiVincenzo’s 25 dunks over the past two seasons don’t jump off the page, his athleticism can be seen in flashes as a finisher. Defensively, DiVincenzo’s blend of speed and athletic gifts is also evident. Heading into his second season with the Wolves, DiVincenzo will be a key part of the team, and his underrated athleticism will be part of his impact.