All Things Luka Doncic

[pelifan]

Reminds me of Brandon Roy a bit.

[Mirotic12]

He is kinda right. NBA prospects' stock is often ties with how successful their NBA counterparts perform. For example, Dragan Bender probably would have had a bit worse stock if Porzingis was a bust, etc. Personally, I dont think Lonzo is Doncic's counterpart, but he has a point.

Doncic's NBA counterparts would be guys like Marko Jaric and Antoine Rigaudeau. I can't really think of a good comparison for an American player.

[XTraderXL]

Well, Luka is a bigger, stronger Lonzo with a better shot, much better PnR game, just as good of a passer and a better defender and rebounder. Basically he is Lonzo 3.0)))

[Ferulci]

Good read on Doncic : https://theringer.com/nba-draft-luka-doncic-real-madrid-f534e7428bf6

[UcanUwill]

Well, Luka is a bigger, stronger Lonzo with a better shot, much better PnR game, just as good of a passer and a better defender and rebounder. Basically he is Lonzo 3.0)))

No way he is better passer than Lonzo. Lonzo blew me away in Summer league, hes fantastic.

[The-Power]

Well, Luka is a bigger, stronger Lonzo with a better shot, much better PnR game, just as good of a passer and a better defender and rebounder. Basically he is Lonzo 3.0)))

No way he is better passer than Lonzo. Lonzo blew me away in Summer league, hes fantastic.

Lonzo is one of the best throw-ahead passers ever coming out of college and he's also brilliant from the top of the key but Doncic might be a better – more effective – passer if he's able to master the PnR passing in today's league. And that's fathomable I'd say.

[UcanUwill]

Well, Luka is a bigger, stronger Lonzo with a better shot, much better PnR game, just as good of a passer and a better defender and rebounder. Basically he is Lonzo 3.0)))

No way he is better passer than Lonzo. Lonzo blew me away in Summer league, hes fantastic.

Lonzo is one of the best throw-ahead passers ever coming out of college and he's also brilliant from the top of the key but Doncic might be a better – more effective – passer if he's able to master the PnR passing in today's league. And that's fathomable I'd say.

Doncic is ok passer, but nothing special really.

[CptCrunch]

Luka is better than Lonzo as a prospect. He is worse at passing, better at absolutely everything else. I have him as the best prospect since LeBron. All those people slobbering over Bamba, Ayton or Porter lmao. Those 3 are great prospect, but they are not on the same stratosphere as Luka.

[UcanUwill]

Luka is better than Lonzo as a prospect. He is worse at passing, better at absolutely everything else. I have him as the best prospect since LeBron. All those people slobbering over Bamba, Ayton or Porter lmao. Those 3 are great prospect, but they are not on the same stratosphere as Luka.

I really not that high, because, what he excels at? I mean he is very advanced for his age, but to think he just gonna poliish every single aspect in his game going forward is pretty silly. He is entering the age where you really need to show where would you excel at at elite level, if you want to be number one pick. Right now he looks more like a role player rather than best prospect in 14 years.

[PhilBlackson]

Sorry I'm not sold on Doncic as much as some.

At this point I'd still take Porter Jr, Antentokounmpo and Knox over him quite easily, flame away.

[kayath]

Sorry I'm not sold on Doncic as much as some.

At this point I'd still take Porter Jr, Antentokounmpo and Knox over him quite easily, flame away.

Everyone has its own opinion about players so i don't see why anyone would flame you.

If you are interested of course you can check this new article about Doncic maybe this might change your mid or not.

https://theringer.com/nba-draft-luka-doncic-real-madrid-f534e7428bf6

[kayath]

Was making some research and found this :

Congratulations to P3 athlete Luka Doncic for being named the unanimous EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy for the 2016-17 season. Luka has put together one of the greatest seasons by a teenager in European basketball history. Not only did Doncic become the youngest player to ever claim MVP of the Round honors in the EuroLeague, he went on to do so four times this season (second most of any player) and helped lead Real Madrid to the Final Four next week in Istanbul. Luka has spent a few weeks at P3 the past two summers. Luka combines outstanding anthropometric measurements, including an 8'9.5" standing reach (88th percentile for NBA guards) and 228.8 lbs of mass with very competitive and improving movement qualities. In the lateral plane, Luka's ability to abduct the hip (1 dev above the mean) allows him to generate Force more efficiently than most NBA players that we've assessed (71st percentile in lateral acceleration). He's become particularly adept in a change-of-direction environment, where his Slide Agility times outpace most NBA Guards tested at P3 and they've improved by roughly 0.25s in the past year. Vertically, Luka ranks better than 73% of NBA guards in height touched during the approach and his improved his countermovement jump by 2 inches in the past year. He's good now, he's still getting better, and he's well within his physical development window!

As i understand this was last year.

This is original link: https://www.facebook.com/PeakPerformanceProject/videos/10155225675353864/

[reanimator]

You can add Bagley above him too

Will Doncic even be top 5 pick next year?

[uvlOzzy]

No way he is better passer than Lonzo. Lonzo blew me away in Summer league, hes fantastic.

Lonzo is one of the best throw-ahead passers ever coming out of college and he's also brilliant from the top of the key but Doncic might be a better – more effective – passer if he's able to master the PnR passing in today's league. And that's fathomable I'd say.

Doncic is ok passer, but nothing special really.

I put a link to four 10 minutes videos on the first page that contain only Luka passing. I know that most of it is boring simple passes(i have nothin to do with the videos I have just linked them) but there is some crazy stuff in there. Can you really say that Doncic is just an ok passer after watching through that?*

* If you already have and still have the same opinion then cool. I just think he is at least a step above ok.

[Thespianoid]

No way he is better passer than Lonzo. Lonzo blew me away in Summer league, hes fantastic.

Lonzo is one of the best throw-ahead passers ever coming out of college and he's also brilliant from the top of the key but Doncic might be a better – more effective – passer if he's able to master the PnR passing in today's league. And that's fathomable I'd say.

Doncic is ok passer, but nothing special really.

man, ok passer is borderline blasphemous. Very few players at 18 have the type of patience and vision to read the weakside help and make the correct pass (to weakside shooter or to roller) consistently out of the PnR, and that's likely the most important thing in the NBA for ballhandlers. To do it at 17-18 at the Euroleague level, that's something else.

Finds the gaps in the defense when they cheat/shade. finds mismatches. Pushes the break and passes ahead in transition. Also does the most important thing people don't understand when it comes to passing - placing the ball where the defense cannot reach. Doncic has weaknesses, like any prospect, but his passing and vision should not be in question.

Now if you want to argue that his scoring feel out of the PnR isn't there yet, or how his footwork going to the rim is bad, or how his shot may not ever be consistent enough, or how he's not a good enough athlete on both ends, than you have a leg to stand on. But to question his passing is ridiculous.

In general re: prospect evaluation I strongly believe people overrate athleticism/tools with the idea that those guys can just learn the mental game of basketball. Guys with elite tools + poor feel almost never end up better than guys with elite feel + average tools, unless they're given a limited role with few decisions/responsibilities. And in the NBA only the C position fits that bill.

[uvlOzzy]

Oh and by the way - the first moment of truth should come on the 3rd of September. Eurobasket 2017 - Geeece vs Slovenia. I guess we should see some Antetokounmpo vs Doncic in that game.

[UcanUwill]

Lonzo is one of the best throw-ahead passers ever coming out of college and he's also brilliant from the top of the key but Doncic might be a better – more effective – passer if he's able to master the PnR passing in today's league. And that's fathomable I'd say.

Doncic is ok passer, but nothing special really.

man, ok passer is borderline blasphemous. Very few players at 18 have the type of patience and vision to read the weakside help and make the correct pass (to weakside shooter or to roller) consistently out of the PnR, and that's likely the most important thing in the NBA for ballhandlers. To do it at 17-18 at the Euroleague level, that's something else.

Finds the gaps in the defense when they cheat/shade. finds mismatches. Pushes the break and passes ahead in transition. Also does the most important thing people don't understand when it comes to passing - placing the ball where the defense cannot reach. Doncic has weaknesses, like any prospect, but his passing and vision should not be in question.

Now if you want to argue that his scoring feel out of the PnR isn't there yet, or how his footwork going to the rim is bad, or how his shot may not ever be consistent enough, or how he's not a good enough athlete on both ends, than you have a leg to stand on. But to question his passing is ridiculous.

In general re: prospect evaluation I strongly believe people overrate athleticism/tools with the idea that those guys can just learn the mental game of basketball. Guys with elite tools + poor feel almost never end up better than guys with elite feel + average tools, unless they're given a limited role with few decisions/responsibilities. And in the NBA only the C position fits that bill.

His passing never stood out to me honestly. He is no Rubio, or Lonzo, or Milos, not even close in my opinion. He is elite at reading the game and controlling tempo, but he is no superstar passer.

[Thespianoid]

I really not that high, because, what he excels at? I mean he is very advanced for his age, but to think he just gonna poliish every single aspect in his game going forward is pretty silly. He is entering the age where you really need to show where would you excel at at elite level, if you want to be number one pick. Right now he looks more like a role player rather than best prospect in 14 years.

Doncic' elite attribute is his IQ. Usually with players with elite understanding of basketball have athleticism/scoring questions, which is no different for Doncic. How good of an athlete and scorer you think he can become will be a deciding factor. So in that sense, like in the article, a version of Hedo is a possible pessimistic comparison if he does not develop further.

This is something I pointed out way back, but I never understand why guys with higher baseline skill levels are assumed to have a harder time improving on those skills. Again, not saying that Doncic is a lock to be great, or that he definitely will polish every single aspect. But in the same vein, if we are to question whether or not he will improve on his weaknesses or continue building on his strengths...

we have to evaluate Marvin Bagley and Michael Porter the same way. They also have pretty major holes in their games, and to just give one crop the benefit of the doubt to improve and not the other is strange.

Bagley has generational athleticism, and that's always a nice baseline to have. decent handle and body control but he can't shoot and has bad decision making/feel. He gets by at the HS level on sheer athletic dominance and instinct. Not sure about his defense overall but he can block shots at the HS level, which is basically a requirement for a guy which his physical profile. Seems like a guy who should be a C but has too small a wingspan (+1 or 2) to play it full time. Depends on whether or not he can improve his skill level and feel for basketball.

Porter isn't as good an athlete as Bagley - has stiff hips and plays upright so that limits his fluidity. has better shooting at this stage, but also has bad feel. To be completely honest I don't see the appeal of Porter. Maybe as a scorer? Reminds me a bit of Michael Beasley in how their scoring package is reliant on generating a jumper. He's also 8-9 months older than Doncic and Bagley.

[Thespianoid]

Doncic is ok passer, but nothing special really.

man, ok passer is borderline blasphemous. Very few players at 18 have the type of patience and vision to read the weakside help and make the correct pass (to weakside shooter or to roller) consistently out of the PnR, and that's likely the most important thing in the NBA for ballhandlers. To do it at 17-18 at the Euroleague level, that's something else.

Finds the gaps in the defense when they cheat/shade. finds mismatches. Pushes the break and passes ahead in transition. Also does the most important thing people don't understand when it comes to passing - placing the ball where the defense cannot reach. Doncic has weaknesses, like any prospect, but his passing and vision should not be in question.

Now if you want to argue that his scoring feel out of the PnR isn't there yet, or how his footwork going to the rim is bad, or how his shot may not ever be consistent enough, or how he's not a good enough athlete on both ends, than you have a leg to stand on. But to question his passing is ridiculous.

In general re: prospect evaluation I strongly believe people overrate athleticism/tools with the idea that those guys can just learn the mental game of basketball. Guys with elite tools + poor feel almost never end up better than guys with elite feel + average tools, unless they're given a limited role with few decisions/responsibilities. And in the NBA only the C position fits that bill.

His passing never stood out to me honestly. He is no Rubio, or Lonzo, or Milos, not even close in my opinion. He is elite at reading the game and controlling tempo, but he is no superstar passer.

You seem to be equating creativity/flair with passing ability and vision. Doncic is not as creative as those guys, less WOW moments, even if he does flash moments of it (behind the back bounces, cross court bounces). He's more a fundamental/right read passer.

Going to get flamed for this due to misunderstanding of my point, but it's sorta like LeBron and Harden. Bron has his moments of flash but the reason he's so good isn't because he's a creative passer, it's because he makes the right pass so damn often. Harden is the same but without the dominant physical tools. IMO my favorite comp for Doncic as a passer is Harden, as Harden makes a lot of his reads without ever getting a step on the defense.

[reanimator]

I don't question Doncic as a passer - he has the fundamentals and is incredibly creative. Elite spatial awareness.