Maze wrote:Calvin Klein wrote:FWIW we HAD the number 1 pick and could have picked the generational player but instead chose the one who SAID on record he was in it for the money.
Luka wasn't a surefire, can't miss prospect, tho.There was some doubts about his athleticism and how he'd adjust to the NBA.I'm talking about the guys where you just know they're going #1.Shaq, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Wemby etc.Funny how lil ol San Antonio always seems to secure those guys.
There were certainly more variance in mock draft positions for Luka, valid or not, than compared to DA but he was consistently mocked in the top 3 in the draft when you look at the round table of mock drafts across all media and it was basically down to the wire as to who would be #1 between DA and Luka. Both DA and Luka were worthy #1 picks even in a historically stacked draft.
Pre-draft there were essentially 2 camps, the first camp was for DA who felt he had all the physical traits, big man skills, "All-American-ness" and the college career that a lot of the mainstream traditional scouts fawned over but they also didn't give as much credence to European prospects and very much still placed a stigma on them at the time. The 2nd camp was basically everyone else, especially draft Twitter who did scout both college and international basketball and have been talking about Luka for years since he went pro and the Euroleague MVP was just the confirmation they were after to really cement him at #1 in their minds. There were some Bagley, Bamba and Trae noise but it was mostly noise. At the end of the day, DA was just seen as having as high of a ceiling as Luka but was considered the safer choice. What a lot of the pro-DA camp and scouts didn't fully appreciate was how far the game had already shifted away from dudes who can't create as we entered the era of positionless basketball and DA not doing himself any favours by never really developing a strong enough creation game to be the engine of an offense like Luka has been since Day 1.
So there were certainly more questions around Luka, valid or not, compared to DA simply because the college game has historically been the barometer for whether a player will translate to the NBA well or not. In hindsight, it’s clear that Wemby, while a generational talent in his own right, likely benefited immensely from the precedent Luka set. Had Wemby entered the 2018 draft instead, there likely would’ve been far more scepticism around his European resume (which wasn't nearly as strong as Luka's) and slender frame, particularly in a league still adjusting to the value of international well rounded bigs. Even in 2023, some doubted whether Wemby’s wiry build would withstand the NBA’s physicality, but those concerns were much quieter compared to the scrutiny Dončić faced in 2018.
Scouting has evolved significantly since the mid-to-late 2010s. Questions about whether a European player’s game will translate to the NBA have become far less common, thanks in large part to Luka Dončić redefining what international prospects are capable of from day one.
