Before his draft, basketball journalist and scout Austin Green compared Dončić to NBA players Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson.[213] Dončić compared himself to Ben Simmons due to his versatility.[214] In his second season, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers, when asked about Dončić, stated that "there's a lot of people in him." He likened Dončić’s stepback 3-pointers to James Harden, his passing ability to Larry Bird, and his court vision to LeBron James.[215] NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins, called him "baby LeBron" due to his overall skill and dominance on the court.[216]