All Things Luka Doncic

[Rasho Brezec]

I think his defensive woes are greatly exaggerated. He is not nearly as bad as some fear.

I thought he was the worst defender on that Slovenian team. Whenever he and Muric were on the floor together there was always a missed rotation or something.

[SportsGuy8]

Defensive rebounding is a part of defense, though, and it's part of the reason why he was sometimes positioned a bit away from his man and a bit closer to the basket.

The whole team really struggled trying to get defensive rebounds in the final after Doncic got injured. It seemed as if Serbians had a real chance to get an offensive rebound after almost every miss. Slovenians just got really fortunate with a couple of lucky bounces, otherwise it would have ended badly.

I think that Kokoskov was aware of these problems and used Doncic to cover them.

[burek3]

I watched the Real Madrid vs. Gran Canaria game yesterday. Spoiled like hell by Slovenia after Eurobasket. Everything in slow-mo

Lasso's style of game is outdated for the team he has. Dončić had to camp on the side line most of the time... He did have couple of balls to run offense with near the end of the game, but was too little, too late. Still visibly tired, emotionally spent from championships. Extraordinary that he even played after that ankle sprain.

Campazzo & Causeur, no comment. Especially the former, 1/8 FG, bland playmaking (if you even can call drive into entanglement and chuck the ball in general direction of teammates playmaking)

[pacersGM]

I almost lost slovenian citizenship because of that debate.

Dragic didn't do anything in Fiba basketball, clubs or national team, only bright spot is Eurobasket in Slovenia. He had 1 more good WC but Slovenia didn't do anything, so... We will see how Doncic and Dragic will play in Eurobasket. But it will be very funny to see if Doncic will be better than top 10 Nba point guard.

But let's say he's far the best Pg in Europe, but you would not find strange if Doncic will be better in Eurobasket? 18 years kid better than top 10 NBA Pg and they're playing in the same team? If that happens Doncic is the best prospect since LeBron or Dragic simply is not that good. I'm afraid second opinion is much more realistic.

I don't think he would be a star at all. Heurtel is basically a less athletic version of Dragic (but it's not a big difference athletically)....... But Heurtel is a way better shooter than Dragic is. Which is absolutely vital for a point guard in EuroLeague. And Huertel always starts to struggle every time the playoffs start, because in more intense physicality and defense, that kind of game does not work as well. I think Dragic would be Heurtel with a worse jumper.

This thread truly is pure comedy gold. The whole summer long some posters like Mirotic and Bob were vehemently arguing that Dragic just can’t play FIBA basketball and how he’s not any better than an avarage Euro player like Thomas Heuertel. A good month later Dragic sits atop of Europe as a champion and an MVP.

Now how can you take seriously anything some in this thread have to say about Doncic or European basketball in general, when they were absolutely abysmal at evaluating an existing Euro-NBA player. It’s quite obvious that some here don’t even watch NBA basketball and thus can’t be taken seriously when they talk about players who play there.

Doncic had an excellent tournament and his draft stock is rising rapidly. But he also played next to an MVP who drew a whole lot of defensive attention and gave Doncic plenty of space to operate. Slovenia played great ball, but looking at some game film, it was a lot of Dragic making really tough shots from all over the court even when defense did a great job against him. He was definitely on another level. That’s a level you just don’t see in Europe and that’s a level Doncic saw on court for the first time when he played with Dragic.

But that’s also a level you see at almost every NBA game during the season. That’s the main point here. The 10 best EuroBasket scorers are all current NBA players or were NBA players in Shved’s and Shengelia’s case.

What we can say for certain about Doncic is that he’s probably the only player in the next draft class who’s pretty much bust-proof. He’ll be good, how good is anyone’s guess. There’re still areas he has to improve in if he wants to become an efficient NBA player. But he does too many things too well not to be at the very least a very good starter or a borderline All-Star. Projecting Doncic is just so incredibly tough because we really can’t compare him to anyone, in Europe or the States. He really is an incredibly unique player. A lot depends on who will draft him and how they will use him.

Not a single bench player in NBA is as good as Sergio Llull and Vassilis Spanoulis.

When Spanoulis had his Rockets NBA adventure, he couldn’t even take minutes away from John Lucas III. Keep them laughs coming dude.

We will have to decide, if one great tournament, 9 games, makes a player great? Because Dragic in his previous Eurobaskets was not even close to what he did this year. His Eurobasket numbers are,
5.4 ppg 2007, 9.2 ppg 2009, 11.7 2011 and 15.8 2013. Doncic with his 14.3/8.1 and a gold medal as a 18 year old rookie. And if 1 tournament is enough, than Doncic is clear #1. If you really was watching Eurobasket then you have seen that Doncic was at least equal than Dragic against Greece and better than Dragic in crucial games against Latvia and Spain. Dragic was great in first half against Serbia, but totally disappeared in last Q, where have brought gold medal to Slovenia, Prepelic, Blazic, Randolph and Vidmar.

PacersGM, No more personal attacks.

[Bob8]

This thread truly is pure comedy gold. The whole summer long some posters like Mirotic and Bob were vehemently arguing that Dragic just can’t play FIBA basketball and how he’s not any better than an avarage Euro player like Thomas Heuertel. A good month later Dragic sits atop of Europe as a champion and an MVP.

Now how can you take seriously anything some in this thread have to say about Doncic or European basketball in general, when they were absolutely abysmal at evaluating an existing Euro-NBA player. It’s quite obvious that some here don’t even watch NBA basketball and thus can’t be taken seriously when they talk about players who play there.

Doncic had an excellent tournament and his draft stock is rising rapidly. But he also played next to an MVP who drew a whole lot of defensive attention and gave Doncic plenty of space to operate. Slovenia played great ball, but looking at some game film, it was a lot of Dragic making really tough shots from all over the court even when defense did a great job against him. He was definitely on another level. That’s a level you just don’t see in Europe and that’s a level Doncic saw on court for the first time when he played with Dragic.

But that’s also a level you see at almost every NBA game during the season. That’s the main point here. The 10 best EuroBasket scorers are all current NBA players or were NBA players in Shved’s and Shengelia’s case.

What we can say for certain about Doncic is that he’s probably the only player in the next draft class who’s pretty much bust-proof. He’ll be good, how good is anyone’s guess. There’re still areas he has to improve in if he wants to become an efficient NBA player. But he does too many things too well not to be at the very least a very good starter or a borderline All-Star. Projecting Doncic is just so incredibly tough because we really can’t compare him to anyone, in Europe or the States. He really is an incredibly unique player. A lot depends on who will draft him and how they will use him.


When Spanoulis had his Rockets NBA adventure, he couldn’t even take minutes away from John Lucas III. Keep them laughs coming dude.

We will have to decide, if one great tournament, 9 games, makes a player great? Because Dragic in his previous Eurobaskets was not even close to what he did this year. His Eurobasket numbers are,
5.4 ppg 2007, 9.2 ppg 2009, 11.7 2011 and 15.8 2013. Doncic with his 14.3/8.1 and a gold medal as a 18 year old rookie. And if 1 tournament is enough, than Doncic is clear #1. If you really was watching Eurobasket then you have seen that Doncic was at least equal than Dragic against Greece and better than Dragic in crucial games against Latvia and Spain. Dragic was great in first half against Serbia, but totally disappeared in last Q, where have brought gold medal to Slovenia, Prepelic, Blazic, Randolph and Vidmar.

Bob0, you are pathetic.

Im laughing at you. Dragoc willed a nation of 2mil to the european championships and you clown, by the way if you are really slovene, then your even more pathetic. You clown after that seriously state dragic just had one of those good tournaments, since he wasnt good at the others euros ( according to you). You trolled the whole spring saying dragic sucks, and you cant expect anyone will take your doncic analysis serious. Haha ok man i will just laughtfrom now on when you will analyze something again.

Dude dragic became a bonafide euro legend with his win. Even the Teo almighty with a stacked tram couldnt win gold, how come? Analyzite if for me would you haha your a joke really

Dragic had to wait 10 years to win something. And then Doncic came and Dragic won something. Is Doncic a legend too? And what about Prepelic, Randolph, Vidmar... Yes Dragic surprised me, he was great. But maybe others surprised even more. Who expected something like that from players, who are playing in third tier competitions? And who expected such mature play from 18 years old kid? You for sure not.

Thanks for all nice words, I think I will have big problems with sleeping tonight.

[Derento]

I think his defensive woes are greatly exaggerated. He is not nearly as bad as some fear.

He played good defense the whole knockout stage & player good man defense against Bogdan.
And his defensive stats were much better than NBA sieves like Bojan Bogdanvic & Dario Saric.
His biggest struggle right now is going through screens so that should be his main point of improvement for defense.

[pacersGM]

Dragic had to wait 10 years to win something. And then Doncic came and Dragic won something. Is Doncic a legend too? And what about Prepelic, Randolph, Vidmar... Yes Dragic surprised me, he was great. But maybe others surprised even more. Who expected something like that from players, who are playing in third tier competitions? And who expected such mature play from 18 years old kid? You for sure not.

Thanks for all nice words, I think I will have big problems with sleeping tonight.

PacersGM, no more warnings - no more personal attacks.

[Bob8]

Dragic had to wait 10 years to win something. And then Doncic came and Dragic won something. Is Doncic a legend too? And what about Prepelic, Randolph, Vidmar... Yes Dragic surprised me, he was great. But maybe others surprised even more. Who expected something like that from players, who are playing in third tier competitions? And who expected such mature play from 18 years old kid? You for sure not.

Thanks for all nice words, I think I will have big problems with sleeping tonight.

man your already getting quoten for the crap you said a few months ago, so do some more of your analytic work, wont you clown

Wise man should know when to stop, so I will say goodbye.

[Derento]

What team do guys think would be best for Doncic's development?
I think Hawks would be the best landing spot for him.
Good coaching & offensive scheme & style.
Fast guard in Schroeder.
Great roll big in John Collins.
Good S&C area.

[jinxed]

Is Manu Ginobili a good comparison for Luka Doncic?

By many Ginobili is seen as a best white SG ever, so pretty much every talented SG is compared to him.

I'm not sure Doncic will ever be good scorer as much as Manu. I mean, If he played in some weaker NBA teams Ginobili would have 20 + ppg for years.

But Luka is far better rebounder.

Not a good comparison. Different body types, Luka is taller, much thicker, and will be even more so when he grows up. Manu was much quicker, a better defender, and a far more awkward, crafty lefty. Luka has a more traditional skillset.

[Alatan]

I think a nice comparison for Doncic is Nicolas Batum. Doncic seems a little more crafty and energetic but Batum is a better shooter currently. Thats his floor in my opinion. That being said i dont think Doncic has a very high ceiling. Maybe an allstar a couple of times.

[burek3]

If that's not a very high ceiling, an allstar a couple of times, where do we sign?

[TankCommander17]

He's arguably the best prospect ever at his age.



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There is no argument for him being a better prospect than Lebron. None.

Of course there is.

You are saying that with the benefit of hindsight after seeing what LeBron became. Lebron was not better in high school or even his rookie year in the NBA than Doncic is right now. Granted his athleticism advantage narrows the gap down immensely when talking about him as a pure prospect.


Now that LeBron is the best player ever it's easy to say he was the better prospect. And don't get me wrong he was arguably the greatest prospect ever too.

Id say they are 1a and 1b for certain

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LMAO what in the hell is going on in this thread?

This is as bad as Lin fans trying to find any stat to prop him up to superstar status. If he only didn't have Melo taking his shots. If he only didn't have Harden taking his minutes. If he only <insert excuse here>.

Doncic a better prospect than Bron was? LMAOOOOOOO

[pacersGM]

in my personal opinion you can always find stats wich would enable persons who otherwise dont know much about basketball to make such claims. its sad, but it is possible. You can get easy lost in stats, per 24 36 40 numbers and crunch and turn those numbers, without watching one game in your whole life or. realistic project what skills are needed in the nba to achive a status some are considering a granted fact for doncic. HOF, multiple all star, superstar awesome post, really

And even more sad is the fact, the think alikes get a good discusion out of it. That lebron james wasnt the Virtioso or didnt have that special feel for the game that Doncic has awesome forum. I for shure want to stay part of this discussion, but will from now on be more polite not to offend to many doncic vs. lebron fanatics

[HoopsMalone]

There is no argument for him being a better prospect than Lebron. None.

Of course there is.

You are saying that with the benefit of hindsight after seeing what LeBron became. Lebron was not better in high school or even his rookie year in the NBA than Doncic is right now. Granted his athleticism advantage narrows the gap down immensely when talking about him as a pure prospect.


Now that LeBron is the best player ever it's easy to say he was the better prospect. And don't get me wrong he was arguably the greatest prospect ever too.

Id say they are 1a and 1b for certain

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LMAO what in the hell is going on in this thread?

This is as bad as Lin fans trying to find any stat to prop him up to superstar status. If he only didn't have Melo taking his shots. If he only didn't have Harden taking his minutes. If he only <insert excuse here>.

Doncic a better prospect than Bron was? LMAOOOOOOO

Arguably, absolutely. He is by far more skilled than Lebron was at that age. No one can argue otherwise.

The gap in athleticism is wide though which makes it arguable. LeBron was a guaranteed all star and a likely hall of famer coming into the league.

It wasn't clear until his 2nd year that he was a future hall of famer.

Do you not recall his struggles his rookie year? Or the 2004 olympics?!

It wasn't until at least 2007 that anyone realized he was going to be better than Jordan. I'd say it was the pistons obliteration that really marked his world domination.

Doncic is in uncharted territory when it comes to skill. What if he improves as much as say Steph curry has from here?

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[TankCommander17]

Of course there is.

You are saying that with the benefit of hindsight after seeing what LeBron became. Lebron was not better in high school or even his rookie year in the NBA than Doncic is right now. Granted his athleticism advantage narrows the gap down immensely when talking about him as a pure prospect.


Now that LeBron is the best player ever it's easy to say he was the better prospect. And don't get me wrong he was arguably the greatest prospect ever too.

Id say they are 1a and 1b for certain

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

LMAO what in the hell is going on in this thread?

This is as bad as Lin fans trying to find any stat to prop him up to superstar status. If he only didn't have Melo taking his shots. If he only didn't have Harden taking his minutes. If he only <insert excuse here>.

Doncic a better prospect than Bron was? LMAOOOOOOO

Arguably, absolutely. He is by far more skilled than Lebron was at that age. No one can argue otherwise.

The gap in athleticism is wide though which makes it arguable. LeBron was a guaranteed all star and a likely hall of famer coming into the league.

It wasn't clear until his 2nd year that he was a future hall of famer.

Do you not recall his struggles his rookie year? Or the 2004 olympics?!

It wasn't until at least 2007 that anyone realized he was going to be better than Jordan. I'd say it was the pistons obliteration that really marked his world domination.

Doncic is in uncharted territory when it comes to skill. What if he improves as much as say Steph curry has from here?

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This is so incorrect, I don't know where to start. Lebron was heralded as the best prospect to come out of high school ever.

The only knock on him was his shoot. He had elite passing/court vision. Had the tools to be a great defenders. Good rebounder. Good handles for his age. And yes he was a freak athlete.

Lebron was so touted for his skills that they even televised his HS games on espn on primetime. Something never done before.

Doncic is a nice player but this skill gap is wide with Lebron at the same age.

Your whole statement "Arguably, absolutely. He is by far more skilled than Lebron was at that age. No one can argue otherwise. " is just your opinion as a fan of Doncic. But you have absolutely 0 facts behind it.

[HoopsMalone]

This is so incorrect, I don't know where to start. Lebron was heralded as the best prospect to come out of high school ever.

The only knock on him was his shoot. He had elite passing/court vision. Had the tools to be a great defenders. Good rebounder. Good handles for his age. And yes he was a freak athlete.

Lebron was so touted for his skills that they even televised his HS games on espn on primetime. Something never done before.

Doncic is a nice player but this skill gap is wide with Lebron at the same age.

Your whole statement "Arguably, absolutely. He is by far more skilled than Lebron was at that age. No one can argue otherwise. " is just your opinion as a fan of Doncic. But you have absolutely 0 facts behind it.

Nothing, absolutely nothing I said was incorrect.

Doncic is a far, far, far better shooter NOW than Lebron was at this age. LeBron couldn't buy a bucket his rookie year. You can't possibly believe Doncic will shoot .488 ts% his rookie year in the NBA.

I'm not a fan of Doncic. At all. I don't give 2 craps about euroleague. I'm a huge LeBron fan.

If you honestly think LeBron was a better ballhandler than Doncic at this age you should just quit with the discount act right now. Doncic is the more skilled ballhandler BY FAR.

Dust the cobwebs off, put the sports illustrated for kids posters aside, and go watch film of LeBron at 18. Check out his rookie year numbers in the NBA. Watch the Olympics.

LeBron is the most skilled player ever to gave elite size and athleticism. But Doncic is BY FAR the more skilled player. The shooting splits, the passing, the ball handling... this stuff isn't even close.

And it's laughable to say LeBron has been on television since high school. Doncic games have been televised for YEARS now. Not just 1 or 2 games, ENTIRE SEASONS. He just won a gold medal dude. On Slovenia.

LeBron was busy mucking things up on the USA team at an older age. No Gold medal for a team of NBA stars. Gimme a break here man.



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[TankCommander17]

This is so incorrect, I don't know where to start. Lebron was heralded as the best prospect to come out of high school ever.

The only knock on him was his shoot. He had elite passing/court vision. Had the tools to be a great defenders. Good rebounder. Good handles for his age. And yes he was a freak athlete.

Lebron was so touted for his skills that they even televised his HS games on espn on primetime. Something never done before.

Doncic is a nice player but this skill gap is wide with Lebron at the same age.

Your whole statement "Arguably, absolutely. He is by far more skilled than Lebron was at that age. No one can argue otherwise. " is just your opinion as a fan of Doncic. But you have absolutely 0 facts behind it.

Nothing, absolutely nothing I said was incorrect.

Doncic is a far, far, far better shooter NOW than Lebron was at this age. LeBron couldn't buy a bucket his rookie year. You can't possibly believe Doncic will shoot .488 ts% his rookie year in the NBA.

I'm not a fan of Doncic. At all. I don't give 2 craps about euroleague. I'm a huge LeBron fan.

If you honestly think LeBron was a better ballhandler than Doncic at this age you should just quit with the discount act right now. Doncic is the more skilled ballhandler BY FAR.

Dust the cobwebs off, put the sports illustrated for kids posters aside, and go watch film of LeBron at 18. Check out his rookie year numbers in the NBA. Watch the Olympics.

LeBron is the most skilled player ever to gave elite size and athleticism. But Doncic is BY FAR the more skilled player. The shooting splits, the passing, the ball handling... this stuff isn't even close.

And it's laughable to say LeBron has been on television since high school. Doncic games have been televised for YEARS now. Not just 1 or 2 games, ENTIRE SEASONS. He just won a gold medal dude. On Slovenia.

LeBron was busy mucking things up on the USA team at an older age. No Gold medal for a team of NBA stars. Gimme a break here man.



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You brought up the one thing I said everyone knocked Lebron on which was his shooting as evidence Doncic is better.

Doncic is a better shooter than Bron was at the same age. I agreed with you. But there is so much more to the game than that.

As far as televised games we are talking about American tv as I think you are in europe based on your posts. Sorry but no one here in the states cares about euro league or televised euro games. To have a high school game televised in prime time is a huge huge deal and shows the one of a kind prospect bron was at 18.

His struggles in the Olympics had less to do with Bron but more to do with Larry Brown who was the coach of that team. He gave Bron/Melo/Wade limited minutes even when they were doing well and kept in an AI/Marbury backcourt.

He coached awful that Olympics. If you are looking at Lebron's olympic numbers as a rookie they are going to look awful due to the lack of minutes not because he sucked. The rookies actually were the best part of that team and people in the states were going crazy as to why they didn't play more. Again context is important.

Doncic in that team wouldn't sniff playing time either because Brown had this dumb notion a lot of old school coaches have that the rookies have to "earn" minutes. aka they ain't getting many in their rookie year. So your Olympic comparison is terrible because you put 0 context in it.

Also Doncic is doing all this against inferior competition. This whole notion those leagues matter is hilarious. For every Dirk we get a Dragan Bender. You guys are soooo behind us in basketball it is not even funny. Just as we are behind you guys in soccer.

Again nothing you have said is right. Everything is your opinoin. And you bring up points without any context. Which makes your argument even worse.

[pohani komarac]

I think a nice comparison for Doncic is Nicolas Batum. Doncic seems a little more crafty and energetic but Batum is a better shooter currently. Thats his floor in my opinion. That being said i dont think Doncic has a very high ceiling. Maybe an allstar a couple of times.

Batum and Dončić have different mindset. Batum has mindset of rolplayer which is shame, he could be superstar. Dončić has mindset of a leader

[Alatan]

I think a nice comparison for Doncic is Nicolas Batum. Doncic seems a little more crafty and energetic but Batum is a better shooter currently. Thats his floor in my opinion. That being said i dont think Doncic has a very high ceiling. Maybe an allstar a couple of times.

Batum and Dončić have different mindset. Batum has mindset of rolplayer which is shame, he could be superstar. Dončić has mindset of a leader

Some people dont want to accept it but athleticism is really important at the wing position. If a player isn't athletic he must be elite at one or two other things to be an allstar level player. Neither Batum nor Doncic strike me as such players.