How many Hawks Fans would NOT select Luka Doncic if he somehow fell to #3?

[pacehawk]

I will still be very surprised (Almost shocked!) if Doncic is still available when the Hawks pick at #3 (If, They don't end up making any trades). But, by some chance he is still available how many Hawks Fans on this Board would not run to the podium to select him for the Hawks? Maybe, He is being overhyped and I am way overvaluing him but I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed that he falls to #3! And, If you are not as impressed with Doncic as I am who are you hoping the Hawks get with their top pick?

[Jamaaliver]

I'd go for Doncic. He seems like a unselfish, playmaker and rotation guy at worst. At best, he's a culture setting, game changing, international star on par with Dirk or Yao.

If we draft the greatest Euro prospect of all time and he doesn't pan out, I can live with that.

But if we pass on him and he blossoms...I don't think I could ever get past it.


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[hawkmanreturns]

I would pass. The Hawks need a potential superstar here and I'm not sold on him being a franchise cornerstone.

[Spud2nique]

Doncic was my boy early on and all throughout. However, as the draft approaches I’m getting nervous about selecting him. Some of his greatest assets on the court are undeniable, his court vision and his in game alertness and understanding of the game, specially for his age. Having said that, I’m starting to have serious concerns about his body and his physical strength. For Doncic to be able to show all of his Magic Johnson/Larry Bird type attributes, he first needs to have the physical strength to hang with guys in the NBA game. I do understand that he is dominating the European game, but we can’t ignore the fact that the game is not the NBA game and thus there would be some serious adjustments needed.

[~Wretch~]

I don't think he's going to 3. So I'll put that out there.

I really like Doncic, but I won't be upset if we pass on him. Honestly, I'm just happy where we are. Ayton was my pick prior to the season and there was a pool of 2-3 guys after him that I liked. With Ayton off the table, Doncic is at the front of that pool for me, but not by a huge margin.

I'm really just happy we're in the top 3 and that we didn't slide to like 5th or 6th.

[~Wretch~]

Yeah.... So after re-watching the prospects this morning, fudge what I said earlier. He's definitely not falling to 3 and if he does, no way I'd pass on him.

If I were making the selection, Adam Silver would be like:

"Now that Sacramento has made their pick, the Atlanta Hawks have th..."
*representative slides envelope into his hand*

"Oh! Well, it seems the Hawks have made their selection already."

[Archx]

Doncic was my boy early on and all throughout. However, as the draft approaches I’m getting nervous about selecting him. Some of his greatest assets on the court are undeniable, his court vision and his in game alertness and understanding of the game, specially for his age. Having said that, I’m starting to have serious concerns about his body and his physical strength. For Doncic to be able to show all of his Magic Johnson/Larry Bird type attributes, he first needs to have the physical strength to hang with guys in the NBA game. I do understand that he is dominating the European game, but we can’t ignore the fact that the game is not the NBA game and thus there would be some serious adjustments needed.

Suns GM saw him live and was impressed how tall and crafty he is. He also said he is not slow as people think. But my question is, does Atlanta have enough skilled big players to run a solid P&R with him? He could be a perfect fit with the hawks and would look like a star but on the other hand if Schroder wants to be ball dominant then i would say rather take JJJ or someone else...

[ATL Boy]

Doncic was my boy early on and all throughout. However, as the draft approaches I’m getting nervous about selecting him. Some of his greatest assets on the court are undeniable, his court vision and his in game alertness and understanding of the game, specially for his age. Having said that, I’m starting to have serious concerns about his body and his physical strength. For Doncic to be able to show all of his Magic Johnson/Larry Bird type attributes, he first needs to have the physical strength to hang with guys in the NBA game. I do understand that he is dominating the European game, but we can’t ignore the fact that the game is not the NBA game and thus there would be some serious adjustments needed.

Suns GM saw him live and was impressed how tall and crafty he is. He also said he is not slow as people think. But my question is, does Atlanta have enough skilled big players to run a solid P&R with him? He could be a perfect fit with the hawks and would look like a star but on the other hand if Schroder wants to be ball dominant then i would say rather take JJJ or someone else...

No matter what your preference is when it comes to Doncic, one thing I know for a fact is that we shouldn't (and won't) take Dennis Schroder into consideration at all when it comes to making this pick.

[Spud2nique]

Doncic was my boy early on and all throughout. However, as the draft approaches I’m getting nervous about selecting him. Some of his greatest assets on the court are undeniable, his court vision and his in game alertness and understanding of the game, specially for his age. Having said that, I’m starting to have serious concerns about his body and his physical strength. For Doncic to be able to show all of his Magic Johnson/Larry Bird type attributes, he first needs to have the physical strength to hang with guys in the NBA game. I do understand that he is dominating the European game, but we can’t ignore the fact that the game is not the NBA game and thus there would be some serious adjustments needed.

Suns GM saw him live and was impressed how tall and crafty he is. He also said he is not slow as people think. But my question is, does Atlanta have enough skilled big players to run a solid P&R with him? He could be a perfect fit with the hawks and would look like a star but on the other hand if Schroder wants to be ball dominant then i would say rather take JJJ or someone else...

No matter what your preference is when it comes to Doncic, one thing I know for a fact is that we shouldn't (and won't) take Dennis Schroder into consideration at all when it comes to making this pick.

Agreed...he’s gone by the draft I think.

[D21]

But my question is, does Atlanta have enough skilled big players to run a solid P&R with him?

But it's not like ATL needs to select the missing piece for a contender team... it's selecting players to build a contender in 2 or 3 years, so the other palayers can come later, or you pick a big, and a guard will be need later.
The goal is not to be good next season, so not having the guys to perfectly play with him is not a problem

[atlantabbq99]

This is one of those times when Atlanta fans are right and the current GM is wrong, just like the Childress pick and Chris Paul no pick.

Yes, i would take Doncic at 3.

If you are the GM, even is Doncic turns out to be a bust, your job is still safe, just like how nobody blames Portland for picking Oden over Durant.

[Jamaaliver]

There seems to be a growing possibility:

Read on Twitter

[King Ken]

If Bagley is available, I'll take Bagley. Doncic otherwise is my pick

[King Ken]

Doncic was my boy early on and all throughout. However, as the draft approaches I’m getting nervous about selecting him. Some of his greatest assets on the court are undeniable, his court vision and his in game alertness and understanding of the game, specially for his age. Having said that, I’m starting to have serious concerns about his body and his physical strength. For Doncic to be able to show all of his Magic Johnson/Larry Bird type attributes, he first needs to have the physical strength to hang with guys in the NBA game. I do understand that he is dominating the European game, but we can’t ignore the fact that the game is not the NBA game and thus there would be some serious adjustments needed.

Suns GM saw him live and was impressed how tall and crafty he is. He also said he is not slow as people think. But my question is, does Atlanta have enough skilled big players to run a solid P&R with him? He could be a perfect fit with the hawks and would look like a star but on the other hand if Schroder wants to be ball dominant then i would say rather take JJJ or someone else...

I am more worried about our center situation with Doncic but we have money. We can figure it out

[Spud2nique]

I also see some James Worthy in Bagley. Not the same skills but the fact that they have certain moves that they excel at and when they do those moves you know it’s coming but you somehow still can’t stop it.


I’m kind of sold on Bagley. Let him fall to us.

[D21]

I also see some James Worthy in Bagley. Not the same skills but the fact that they have certain moves that they excel at and when they do those moves you know it’s coming but you somehow still can’t stop it.


I’m kind of sold on Bagley. Let him fall to us.

That's what I saw too, but I'm afraid of his defense, and I don't like at all his FT%, for an interior player who can draw fouls, it's a big problem. 62%, he's one of the worst in this draft

[Spud2nique]

I also see some James Worthy in Bagley. Not the same skills but the fact that they have certain moves that they excel at and when they do those moves you know it’s coming but you somehow still can’t stop it.


I’m kind of sold on Bagley. Let him fall to us.

That's what I saw too, but I'm afraid of his defense, and I don't like at all his FT%, for an interior player who can draw fouls, it's a big problem. 62%, he's one of the worst in this draft

Hoping his stats at the ft like will improve based on his nice stroke. I think he shoots 77-82% ft for his nba career.

[Jamaaliver]

Luka Doncic a low risk in NBA Draft, though ceiling leaves questions

Let’s dive into what Doncic could be if all turns out well and also consider the risk: What’s the disappointing outcome for his development if his skillset and physical stature don’t improve?

Doncic’s ceiling
The biggest question regarding Doncic is about his likelihood for superstardom.

Luka comes in with complexity about what he will develop into thanks to his already diverse skillset but limited athleticism.

Let’s say the 6-foot-8, 228-pound wing devotes himself to a strict diet, hits the weight room and adds a little more explosion and a more compact triple-threat position to cover concerns about his explosiveness.

If his pretty shooting stroke blossoms and the more spaced NBA game helps him become an elite shooter, then what we have is something unique.

A more fine-tuned Doncic is able to defend smaller power forwards and slower shooting guards, can run an offense and wreak havoc on pick-and-rolls. He has enough shake and is a big enough threat to drive that he’s able to get off jumpers off the bounce a la another oversized ball handler Suns fans are familiar with: Joe Johnson. Doncic has the potential to be an elite stand-still shooter and that stepback ability complements his advanced handle.

It’s most likely Doncic finds himself as a B-class star — productive as an all-around player like Andre Iguodala or Joe Johnson but not efficient enough as a scorer to take teams deep into the playoffs by himself.


Doncic’s floor
Doncic’s 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists with 2.2 turnovers per game as the No. 1 option in Europe is enough evidence that he should be a long-time NBA contributor. Doncic’s worst-case outlook could arguably be better than Ayton’s.

Doncic is a career 35-percent three-point shooter and his passing instincts get undercut by his affinity to look for his own shot too often. Even if he’s able to get off jumpers, his lack of a first step limits efficiency, and opponents bait him into long stepbacks.

The good news is that the floor of Doncic can be accentuated by the right role. The team that drafts him puts playmakers around him, and he learns to play off the ball as a small forward or small-ball power forward.

Doncic needs to be run off screens to catch the ball on the wing with defenders already out of position, and he’s able to score or make the crosscourt pass to help set up his other teammates.

Defensively, he avoids taking athletic wings but is smart enough to play in a team defense and gives effort when he’s forced to switch.

All-in-all, Doncic is more than a glue guy. He’s a do-it-all type of player who will make the right plays, take pressure off stars and create a mismatch in one way one night and do it another way the next.


Conclusion
At the end of the day, Doncic’s best skill at the moment is his passing. He’ll be at his best with other scorers at his disposal, ceiling or floor, and that likely outcome is what perhaps has him behind Ayton the most as the likely No. 1 overall selection.

Arizona Sports

[Jamaaliver]

My assessment is this: if Luka gets his 3-pt shooting up to 38% or more and gets in better shape, he's an elite offensive weapon. Not an elite scorer...but a do-it-all oversized guard with a winning mentality.

But he can't be the only guy. We'll need to place another top wing scorer around him to maximize his abilities.

He ain't an isolation guy, either. If we want to see him at his best, we'll need a Spurs like offense that focuses on off-ball movement...similar to what Budenholzer ran.

If he comes here...we need to find a way to get Goran Dragic and other athletic wings to compensate for his shortcomings.

[Spud2nique]

My assessment is this: if Luka gets his 3-pt shooting up to 38% or more and gets in better shape, he's an elite offensive weapon. Not an elite scorer...but a do-it-all oversized guard with a winning mentality.

But he can't be the only guy. We'll need to place another top wing scorer around him to maximize his abilities.

He ain't an isolation guy, either. If we want to see him at his best, we'll need a Spurs like offense that focuses on off-ball movement...similar to what Budenholzer ran.

If he comes here...we need to find a way to get Goran Dragic and other athletic wings to compensate for his shortcomings.

Now you want Bud back?....It’s too late sweetheart...