Luka Doncic will be the best rookie since Lebron.

[Tomjas]

There’s a very good reason why only a few of rookies in history have put up Simmons numbers before him - it’s very, very hard to do

If whatever team he goes to gets 80% of that, they should be delighted

[mixerball]

Please stop hyping this kid senseless. He is going to be fine if we just let him be. He could be having rough first years.

[NBARocks]

wherever he goes, he needs to go to a team that can hide him defensively. Phoenix is not that team. i wonder if Boston can get him via trade?

[obispo]

he can be good but not that good you overhyped. we watched him almost whole year, but he is not close to this level right now. also i wish he can leave his shy expression behind him.

[Riko]

I never gave a stat prediction necessarily.

Come on, you americans like too much the stats, if he puts a solid 12/5/5 with great % in a 55+ W memphis team nobody wuold considered him the best rookie since Lebron.

He won't fall to Memphis. Also Memphis will be lucky to win 40 games, so any rookie is gonna have a bigger load than you thinking. Playing with a playmaker like Gasol would be a huge boost to his offense though in theory.

I don't agree basically on nothing: in all those years I see a lot of stupid things in the drafts so Doncic at 4th wuoldn't surprise me, an healty memphis squad + doncic has all the tools to win 55+ games but gasol+parsons+conley wuold boost his % and drop his raw number.

[TheDavinciCHODE]

Carmelo > than Lebron rookie.

And Blake Griffin was a disgusting player as a rookie. Like far better than I had ever thought he could be....22/12/4 on 50% from the field - 4VORP - PER of 22!!!

If you're were going to tell me that Luka could lead a more efficient offense on a better team than those clippers, then I could maybe agree, but Blake was a beast.

I think a more realistic Luka stat line if he goes to PHX will be 18/7/3 on

I think he's going to a be a star but not sure he's going to dominate in his rookie season, especially if he's primarily a facilitator.

[FlatearthZorro]

Better than Simmons, better than Towns, better than Blake Griffin in terms of a rookie season. According to Kevin Pelton's WARP he is actually is being projected to be the most dominant rookie in the last 12 years at least (tracked since 06). Just put up 21, 7.5, 7, 1.5 steals PER 36 on elite efficiency, just turned 19 years old, led his team to the Euroleague title.

I really really hope he doesnt stay in Europe this year. We will all be robbed of an amazing talent. His game and size is ideal for the NBA right now to have a bit of a perfect storm scenario that Dirk had mid career where the league became a pace+space/PnR league.

In the NBA he should be an even better fit. If the Suns don't draft him at #1 they are making a huge mistake. This thread will be revisited in the season I'm sure.

Posssibly, all depends on mindset and if the coach that gets him utilizes him the right way.

[Archx]

People questioning his defense i mean look at James Harden. No defense and leading MVP candidate. With the right team behind you, its possible. But even though i am from the same country as Luka, i also think there is a chance he could struggle first year. Because people don't realize how many games this guy played for the past 2 years. It's basically non stop bball. And he needs to hit the gym and get into a much better shape. So i think he could struggle physically until he really bulks up.

[Sofia]

He may be the best rookie since Lebron but will he be the best rookie since Tatum was the best rookie since Magic?

[Xherdan 23]

Even if everything you say is true it doesn't mean the Suns should take him first.
I think it's obvious that he's the best player in this draft and probably will remain the best in the class until the end of their rookie contracts.

That said, he's not an elite athlete and this limits his potential on defense and offense.
As for his strengths, he is a good shooter and playmaker but how much can he improve these skills? He's not going to shoot like Curry or pass like Magic and that means he's capped as a rich man's Gordon Hayward (with better playmaking but worse defense and athleticism). That's still a great player but I don't know if it's worth taking over Ayton who's potentially (although unlikely) the second coming of David Robinson.

[Frank Dux]

I think he's going to be very good, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had an underwhelming rookie season. The lack of elite athleticism might make for a harder adjustment. He's definitely crafty and has slippery athleticism, but it might take some time for the game to slow down for him at the NBA level.

[Xherdan 23]

Hmm.. here are some quotes..

"I haven't seen him, no one sees him, but we hear things. I've heard very good things. Nothing bad at all. ... From what I know about those leagues, he is playing the very best in Europe against grown men who are 25, 30 and 35 years old.

1

He's playing against guys double his age. Not only is he going against pros, but some of those pros are going to be playing in the NBA. It's so hard to compare because they play different positions, but whoever takes him will get a tremendous talent for years to come.

2

..about a different "icic" - Darko Milicic.

Darko didn't win Euroleague MVP, wasn't the best player on the best team in Europe (or on his team for that matter).
In fact, they're nothing alike as prospects, Darko's upside was precieved (obviously for no good reason) as a more athletic Dirk but he was clearly a project. Luka is one of the most complete, pro-ready player we've seen in a while and the only doubts about him is his ceiling, not floor.
There is no chance of Doncic busting, at the very least he'll be a starter for over a decade.

[Promezclan]

Darko and Doncic are basically opposite players. Pure athletic potential vs proven skills and production. Second-tier national league vs ACB and Euroleague. PG vs C. Hey, if you don't like Doncic, it's fine, but Milicic is about the worst comparison - comparing him to someone like Christian Laettner would be a somewhat more reasonable diss.

[Snotbubbles]

LeBron was not that good of a rookie, arguably the third best of his team, definitely worse than Simmons.

What

sorry, I meant of his class, just sleepy... lol...

Lebron Rookie Year
PER: 18.3
TS%: .488
TRB%: 7.6
AST%: 27.8
STL%: 2.2
BLK%: 1.3
TOV%: 13.9
USG: 28.2
OWS: 2.4
DWS: 2.6
OBPM: 2.2
DBPM: -.2
VORP: 3.1

Simmons Rookie Year
PER: 20.0
TS%: .557
TRB%: 13.0
AST%: 37.4
STL%: 2.5
BLK%: 2.1
TOV%: 19.5
USG: 22.3
OWS: 4.2
DWS: 5.0
OBPM: 1.0
DBPM: 3.6
VORP: 4.6

[KingFox]

oh for Gods sake. do you all do this on purpose so folks can hate these guys?

[UcanUwill]

I am Doncic guy, but you guys are setting yourselves for a big disappointment.

Sent from my SM-A510F using RealGM mobile app

[commentatorer]

Better than Simmons, better than Towns, better than Blake Griffin in terms of a rookie season. According to Kevin Pelton's WARP he is actually is being projected to be the most dominant rookie in the last 12 years at least (tracked since 06). Just put up 21, 7.5, 7, 1.5 steals PER 36 on elite efficiency, just turned 19 years old, led his team to the Euroleague title.

That's not as good as Simmons.
Simmons averaged 15.8ppg 8.2apg 8.1rpg 1.7spg 0.9bpg .545fg .560ft
And in the playoffs 16.3ppg 9.4rpg 7.7apg 1.7spg 0.8bpg .488fg .707ft
BTW LeBron averaged 20.9ppg 5.9apg 5.5rpg 1.6spg 0.7bpg .417fg .754ft .290trey

[GANGSTERDOG]

I'm gonna laugh when he gets Picked by the Kings and then completely Carries the team to a Title his rookie year barely beating Steph Curry Warriors and Kyrie Celtics. We are all gonna look back at this thread and are like Wtf....

[RaptorsLife]

This kid is so overrated to me.

Jaren Jackson jr will be best rookie. Just a freak

[Black Mage]

Sorry, this title was claimed by Celtics fans on behalf of Tatum after game 5. They even have a thread for it!