Luka Doncic will be the best rookie since Lebron.

[Rocketsbaby]

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.

Not sure you can compare an NBA All Star to a guy who could barely get on the court and when he did he was horrible...

[Rocketsbaby]

He's a 6'8 guard who is unbelievably skilled, and while not a top tier athlete his lack of athleticism is way overstated. He's also the most decorated draftee of all time, not another guy to enter the draft has had his accomplishments and pedigree. It's amazing to me how overlooked he is, he should be an easy number 1 projection, the fact that some have him going 4 or 5 boggles my mind. I have no idea why this is the case, it's bizarre.

Agree 100%. I don't know exactly how GREAT he'll be as a rookie. But I can tell you for absolute certain he will have a great career.

I mean this is a guy who could average 12,6, 5 in his sleep as a low usage guy. Like his absolute floor as a 2nd year pro is a Nic Batum type secondary playmaker...

He's the type of player you add and just instantly transform a 35 game winner into a 45 game winner. A 50 game winner into a title contender...

Like what about this guy does not scream WINNING BASKETBALL PLAYER. On top of that he's insanely marketable... girls are going to love him... kids are going to love him.... grown men will be buying his sweat soaked shorts off ebay... Other great players are going to want to play with him....

Bagley is a mixed bag. The guy could be phenomenonal or he could be out of the league in 5 years if he doesn't have the drive,his thin frame doesn't hold up, or his defensive shortcomings are too great...

Ayton looks like your typical too slow and unskilled for the modern era big man prospect that belongs on 30 win teams for most of his career. I mean is he really a significantly better prospect than say just signing Myles Turner to an extension??? I don't see it...

Luka on the other hand... if you had an opportunity to trade your Starting Shooting Guard for him, who says no??? I don't think a single team in the league really... MAAAAAAYBE Golden State but even they'd have to consider it... given their luxury tax ramifications I'm sure they'd probably even do it...

[Rocketsbaby]

It's funny how people immediately assume a young guy coming from europe will have problems defensively, when in reality the NBA is full of top NCAA picks who can't find their ass with both hands on defense.

I don't know how Luka's footspeed will compare to Wiggins, Jabari, KAT, Okafor etc, but I'm pretty sure he will know where to fkn stand at least. That will be refreshing

This is a terrific post. He is going to understand angles, how to sort through fluff, get in people's airspace, etc.

College kids don't have a clue. Pro coaches marvel every year at how absolutely clueless and unprepared college kids are when they enter the league.

Guys like Calipari aren't great COACHES they are great RECRUITERS and these teams win with huge talent discrepancies not because they are making high level, intelligent basketball plays.

[Unbiased hater]

Carmelo and Wade were better as rookies than Leborn

[NO-KG-AI]

Carmelo and Wade were better as rookies than Leborn

Maybe in the role they played, but LeBron is pretty freakish in terms of stamina and health, and how much of a heavy load he can carry all game and all season, I'm not sure they shine doing the same. Wade was eased in really well, and the leash was taken off whne he was ready.

Anyway, LeBron isn't even the best rookie since LeBron.

[Rocketsbaby]

It's funny how people immediately assume a young guy coming from europe will have problems defensively, when in reality the NBA is full of top NCAA picks who can't find their ass with both hands on defense.

I don't know how Luka's footspeed will compare to Wiggins, Jabari, KAT, Okafor etc, but I'm pretty sure he will know where to fkn stand at least. That will be refreshing

I think it's covert racism

Theres no track record of any European guard ever coming to the NBA and living up to their hype, so ppl are right to be skeptical.

Also, even though hes playing against "grown men", European guards on a whole way less athletic than the NBA guards he will be playing against, so its justifiable to assume he will struggle.

uhhhh... drazen???

[Rocketsbaby]

I think it's covert racism

Theres no track record of any European guard ever coming to the NBA and living up to their hype, so ppl are right to be skeptical.

Also, even though hes playing against "grown men", European guards on a whole way less athletic than the NBA guards he will be playing against, so its justifiable to assume he will struggle.

I think people should be less concerned about Doncic's athleticism and more concerned about how the **** is it possible that those top prospects coming out of the best american colleges have no clue what to do with themselves on defense and teams need to spend 3 years teaching them the basics of team basketball. Like, how, seriously.

If you watch college basketball (difficult to do these days IMO) there is zero defense played. It's just teams alternating taking wide open 3's on every possesion. The defensive breakdowns are just spectacular. It's hilarious because the whole narrative is that the NBA "doesn't play defense" when in reality James Harden is drilling 26 foot stepback jumpers in 6'6 guy's faces. Meanwhile there isn't even a defender on that SIDE OF THE COURT for 30% of the college 3's taken

[Rocketsbaby]

Manu has to count, he is half-Italian and learned basketball in the European system, dominated in the NBA. Drazen as well, and Marciulionis was a very good NBA-player also. There are precedents.

They didn’t come into the NBA as the number 1 overall pick though, they were late round picks...

When I think about “hyped” European guards, I’m thinking Rubio, Hezonja... I’m skeptical on using high draft picks on foreign guards, bc more times than not they don’t live up to the hype they came into the league with

arent you skeptical about using high draft picks on american busts? do you know there are more american busts than euros?

Yeah if Rubio makes you scared to draft a European guard... (who is an excellent PG by the way. And had quite the setback with that torn ACL as it severely limited his athleticism and finishing ability early in his career) what on earth gives you confidence in drafting the next Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, or Earl Clark

[Rocketsbaby]

They didn’t come into the NBA as the number 1 overall pick though, they were late round picks...

When I think about “hyped” European guards, I’m thinking Rubio, Hezonja... I’m skeptical on using high draft picks on foreign guards, bc more times than not they don’t live up to the hype they came into the league with

Hezonja and Rubio played in the same league as Doncic, but they were role players. Europe just dont produce elite guard prospects. Doncic is different as he is first elite guard prospect from Europe in a very long time. He is first prospect who is already Euroleague MVP caliber, so you can't really compare him to other Euros.

Hezonja was terrible selection at the time, but it was before Doncic, and Doncic really made it far more difficult for future Hezonjas of the world. You see, before Doncic, we didn't have any young player playing such a huge role for European powerhouse, so there was a false belief that Euro coaches and systems are prejudice against young less experienced players, and that those players could be very good but warm bench for no substantial reason other than veteran prefference by coaches. Some teams stupidly believed that they could take young Euro bench warmer, and he will just be able to play at NBA level as soon as hes liberated by the NBA...Time and Doncic proved this wrong, Doncic proved that young player can not only play, but also lead and Dominate in Euroleague. He proved that there is no prejudice and that the main reason why scrubs like Dragan Bender and Mario Hezonja were warming benches in Europe, well -because they were in fact scrubs. And after these recent developments, I think NBA GM's will be a bit smarter and at least think twice before wasting top 5 picks on guys who bench warming inferior Euro leagues.

I will say that it frustrates me when people mention Mario Hezonja when talking about Luka, not only is it irrelevant, but tons of European fans were telling NBA fans that he wasn't good at all for his team.

Yeah I have to agree the Mario hype was completely unsubstantiated. The first time I saw him play for the Magic I had absolutely no clue it was him. I was told this guy was some superhuman slasher. This guy looks like a 1980's white stiff that can't move. He's one of the worst ballhandlers in the ENTIRE NBA. Like seriously most low end Division 1 college guards can handle the ball better than he can. I can not believe he went top 5. I don't even think he should be on a roster. People think he came on towards the end of this season. His defense is so atrocious he still doesn't warrant a spot in a rotation. And it's never going to improve enough to do so IMO

[Rocketsbaby]

His shot is not awful at all, hes just not very efficient out of stepbacks, and he attempts at least one full court prayer every game. And he is being guarded by ACB and Euroleague best perimeter defenders, these guys can surely guard.

People in these forums act like the competition he’s facing in europe isn’t miles ahead of NCAA. Euroleague teams have competitive scrimmages against NBA teams and have even won some games. It’s be laughable to suggest any NCAA team could compete against an NBA team

Honestly, with NBA tanking being this out of control, those top 4 Euroleague teams aren't much worse than some poor excuses of NBA rosters nowadays.

Yeah i mean does anyone really believe the Phoenix Suns would win the Euroleague?

Does anyone think Kent Bazemore would be the Euroleague MVP?

I, for one, do not.

[Rocketsbaby]

Way too overhyped. A decent player with a low ceiling. Ingles/Batum maybe Ginobili.

If you give me a guy with a Joe Ingles / Ginobili comparison I'll take him #1 everytime unless there is some Lebron or even Anthony Davis type prospect out there... or at the very least some kind of freak like D. Rose or Blake Griffin.

I'll take the excellent basketball player with a significant chance to be an NBA champion over some shot in the dark at a raw big man prospect who will probably get injured or never develop every single time...

[OkcSinceSGA]

Way too overhyped. A decent player with a low ceiling. Ingles/Batum maybe Ginobili.

If you give me a guy with a Joe Ingles / Ginobili comparison I'll take him #1 everytime unless there is some Lebron or even Anthony Davis type prospect out there... or at the very least some kind of freak like D. Rose or Blake Griffin.

I'll take the excellent basketball player with a significant chance to be an NBA champion over some shot in the dark at a raw big man prospect who will probably get injured or never develop every single time...

Yep. Doncic has a much higher floor IMO. His chance to bust is extremely low IMO. Bare minimum he should become an elite 3rd or 4th option. If he hits his upside we ate looking at a 25 ppg+ elite scorer.

[papidulo]

They didn’t come into the NBA as the number 1 overall pick though, they were late round picks...

When I think about “hyped” European guards, I’m thinking Rubio, Hezonja... I’m skeptical on using high draft picks on foreign guards, bc more times than not they don’t live up to the hype they came into the league with

arent you skeptical about using high draft picks on american busts? do you know there are more american busts than euros?

Yeah if Rubio makes you scared to draft a European guard... (who is an excellent PG by the way. And had quite the setback with that torn ACL as it severely limited his athleticism and finishing ability early in his career) what on earth gives you confidence in drafting the next Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, or Earl Clark

I’m not afraid of drafting a European guard... im afraid of drafting him over a Ayton or a Bagley, who I feel are safer bets with a top 3 pick. You don’t get high draft picks that often, make them count. I’m sure he’s good, but I havent seen enough to take him over the other 2 guys

[MrMcglock]

hes already peaked he will be a turkuglu type player

[slothrop8]

Yeah i mean does anyone really believe the Phoenix Suns would win the Euroleague?

Does anyone think Kent Bazemore would be the Euroleague MVP?

I, for one, do not.

Yes, the Phoenix Suns would win Euroleague. The quality of tanking teams is a little deceptive because they actively attempt to lose most of the year, but playing their best rotations and trying to actually win games, they would win Euroleague. They aren't rolling it undefeated or anything, the gap in quality isn't that wide anymore, but they'd be favourites.

Fringy NBA guys Bjelica, de Colo, and Sergio Rodriguez are 3 of the last 5 Euroleague MVPs. I like some parts of those guys games, I think Bjelica has been underused a little in Minny, and I'm no huge Kent Bazemore fan, but he's at that level, or above - in the right situation for the right team he could be Euroleague MVP.

[Veggamattic]

Carmelo and Wade were better as rookies than Leborn

This is ridiculous...Lebron was way better...especially post all-star break when he played like an MVP. He was also the BEST player on that years version of the dream team even before the season stared and even though he didn't start.

Lebron's defence was already awesome...he lead the entire league in steals, he was the fastest guy in the league and his passing was AMAZING as usual. That team minus Lebron may have been the least talented team to ever play in the NBA...just for some perspective...Ricky Davis was by far the 2nd best player on the team.

Carmelo scored well in that year but to say he was better overall as a rookie than Lebron shows that you didn't watch very closely. He was also way better than Simmons or any other rookie even though he was younger than all of them.

[jonjames]

I think hes a good player prospect for a top 10 to lottery pick but top 3 or even #1 pick worthy? I personally dont think so.

LEts go over some things..ppl neglect.

As a #1 pick you are basically saying he's a franchise changing caliber player. So with that being said how many of those are there in the league? YOU have LeBron, KD, AD, Curry, Harden, Kawhi, arguably Westbrook thats it. And then you have the maybes in the future like Giannis Embiid KAT Porzingis Mitchell Tatum Ingram Simmons.

For a 6'8 Point forward or whatever position he will play he will have to be around at least all star caliber to justify being the #1 pick and being picked over a potential great center in Ayton let alone being hailed the best rookie since LeBron without being labelled a bust.

I don't think he will bust in the traditional sense..but if he goes top 2 he will have immense pressure to live up the hype. He doesn't have a standout skill..yet to compensate for his lack of athleticism like a steve nash, stephen curry, larry bird, nikola jokic etc. HIs lateral quickenss is painfully slow and will get blown by on the defensive end. HE doesn't have the quickness to create space to get his own shot off or get to basket on his drives as easily in the nba. He also doesn't have the 3pt shot to keep the defense honest and make it easier for him on his drives or create opportunities for his teammates. He's gonna have an uphill battle like rubio did his first couple seasons.

All in all, I can see him being like the al horford for small forwards. he wont up put up gaudy stats but will still make an impact for a team with his high iq and cerebral plays. Best thing for luka is to fly under the radar and go to a team with a winning environment that believes in him and is committed to developing him like the spurs. Suns and Kings aren't exactly winning franchises but at least with the kings they have vlade and peja at the helm who will the best they can to to put their fellow countrymen in best position to succeed.

[UcanUwill]

Yeah i mean does anyone really believe the Phoenix Suns would win the Euroleague?

Does anyone think Kent Bazemore would be the Euroleague MVP?

I, for one, do not.

Yes, the Phoenix Suns would win Euroleague. The quality of tanking teams is a little deceptive because they actively attempt to lose most of the year, but playing their best rotations and trying to actually win games, they would win Euroleague. They aren't rolling it undefeated or anything, the gap in quality isn't that wide anymore, but they'd be favourites.

Fringy NBA guys Bjelica, de Colo, and Sergio Rodriguez are 3 of the last 5 Euroleague MVPs. I like some parts of those guys games, I think Bjelica has been underused a little in Minny, and I'm no huge Kent Bazemore fan, but he's at that level, or above - in the right situation for the right team he could be Euroleague MVP.

Suns would win Euroleague. Bazemore would not win MVP tho I think. Would be interesting to see him in that type of competition, but i am not sure he has dominant play style to pull it off.

Sent from my SM-A510F using RealGM mobile app

[mixerball]

hes already peaked he will be a turkuglu type player

Peaked at 19?

[Alatan]

Way too overhyped. A decent player with a low ceiling. Ingles/Batum maybe Ginobili.

If you give me a guy with a Joe Ingles / Ginobili comparison I'll take him #1 everytime unless there is some Lebron or even Anthony Davis type prospect out there... or at the very least some kind of freak like D. Rose or Blake Griffin.

I'll take the excellent basketball player with a significant chance to be an NBA champion over some shot in the dark at a raw big man prospect who will probably get injured or never develop every single time...

Yep. Doncic has a much higher floor IMO. His chance to bust is extremely low IMO. Bare minimum he should become an elite 3rd or 4th option. If he hits his upside we ate looking at a 25 ppg+ elite scorer.

He doesnt have a 25 ppg scoring upside, thats the point. He is what he is and will get a little better as he ages but he is already a pretty developed player.