Luka Dončić Discussion - Year 2

[J_T]

I’m less worried about his getting past someone. I’m more curious about him being a good shooter. He seems to have that potential. If he can become a 37%+ 3-FG shooter and make the defense play that, he’ll be special.


Jokes?


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37% is pretty easy objective, maybe not first year, but he will be better shooter than that I expect in the future. I have no worries about his shot at all.

He is a much better shooter than his % suggest. The problem is his shot selection (too many stepbacks) and his physical fitness. If you look closely, his shooting from was much better at the beginning of the season when he was fresh and the % were higher. As the season went on, the shot was getting flatter and in the end he couldnt even hit FTs consistently anymore. He shot FTs over 90% for the first 15-20 games.

If/when he gets his body right the % will go up significantly. He will also be able to break down his defenders more often which also means less step back trees. Of course thats best case scenario. He could just as easily not be well prepared and his might be called a bust after 10 games.

I really dont know what to expect, I have mixed feelings about him...

His shooting will be fine, this is from my post from last page.



I think shooting is one of the things where I don't see (m)any "analysts/experts" being concerned about. You have some people being concerned about his athleticism, others about his defense, but not really about his shooting. It passes the eye test, it passes the "FT% correlates with 3PT%" rule. Also his 3PA during those first 60 games (30+30) and 37% 3P% was relatively very high for basically a point guard, 6.75 attempts per 36. So he was able to retain high % with high volume.

His shooting will be fine. He did state his shooting to be one of the two priorities for improvement, the other being of course athleticism. I am glad that they realize importance of having 37%+ shooting, because a player in his role can't be a star without it.

[J_T]

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Another teammate's impressions.

[wolfram]

Luka be passing too much. You are a scorer also, don't forget that

[wolfram]

Luka should be the offensive PG for DAL most of the time. Probably they will switch PG duties a lot like in Real Madrid last year. But it will be evident who is the best floor general. I hope Luka is working on his shot and drives also.

[Rn5ho]

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First Carlisle, then Barea, then Dirk, yesterday Barnes.. and now the official team accounts. There's hype coming from everywhere. I don't think any of this would be happening if they weren't sure that Luka's the real deal - noone would put this much on a rookie, if they didn't feel he'd be able to handle it.

Season can't come soon enough..

[arkuo]

Luka be passing too much. You are a scorer also, don't forget that

Luka be like Magic Johnson playing with 5 pts but like 15 assists and 10 rebounds.

[Darren]

https://thesmokingcuban.com/2018/09/01/dallas-mavericks-ranking-luka-doncic-15-best-games/

[JamesConway]

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Luka Doncic is the only rookie in the top 100 for this season. Did we get that right?

Tim MacMahon, ESPN: The word out of Dallas is that Doncic has often been the best player on the court in pickup games at the Mavs' facility despite not being in great shape by NBA standards. And before you make a crack about the Mavs' talent or lack thereof, these games have included local products like LaMarcus Aldridge. Doncic, a special passer, is the most accomplished Euro teen ever and has a huge advantage over other rookies because he arrives in the NBA as a seasoned pro.

[wolfram]

Ok, so this is good news but I'm a bit confused why everybody is saying he is fat, out of shape, too heavy? Also Barea told the press here, that Luka is a bit overweight. He doesn't seem like that in the photos or videos. Maybe he should loose some pounds to be quicker? Or extra weight kind of helps him?

[Teffer10]

Ok, so this is good news but I'm a bit confused why everybody is saying he is fat, out of shape, too heavy? Also Barea told the press here, that Luka is a bit overweight. He doesn't seem like that in the photos or videos. Maybe he should loose some pounds to be quicker? Or extra weight kind of helps him?

I don't see Luka as either a "finesse" or "power" player but rather a crafty one with some very unique attributes.

[Oscar9992]

NBA Rumors: Luka Doncic 'Often' Best Player in Pickup Games at Mavs' Facility



Luka Doncic joined his team relatively late compared to his fellow rookies, but he has wasted little time making a strong impression on his new Dallas Mavericks teammates.

ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon spoke to sources who said "Doncic has often been the best player on the court in pickup games at the Mavs' facility despite not being in great shape by NBA standards."

Doncic missed all of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League since he had to wait until July to make his contract with the Mavericks official.

As he heads into his first season, how long Doncic needs to adjust to the NBA is one of the early concerns about his game.

The 19-year-old is fresh off helping Real Madrid win the 2018 EuroLeague, during which he was named EuroLeague MVP. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in nine appearances in the competition.

Both the EuroLeague and Spanish league are different from the NBA, though. For every Kristaps Porzingis, who immediately took to playing in the United States, there's a Sergio Rodriguez, a decorated European player who hasn't enjoyed the same success in the NBA.

The Mavericks aren't quite in full-on tank mode since they signed DeAndre Jordan to a one-year, $22.8 million deal, but Doncic should have every opportunity to see big playing time in 2018-19. Dallas' primary focus has to be on the long term as it develops the pair of Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr.

Pickup games in the offseason are a far cry from five-on-five action in the regular season, but they represent a nice way for Doncic to build the necessary comfort level with his Mavs teammates.


https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2796215-nba-rumors-luka-doncic-often-best-player-in-pickup-games-at-mavs-facility

[Oscar9992]

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[Teffer10]

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Who's the dude Luka is holding hands with?

[Darren]

How's Doncic compare to Barret who's projected to be the sure no.1 pick. Barret has beaten the USA U21 team on his own not long ago. But he's not doing it as an explosive athlete like LBJ does. I think he's similar rating to Doncic. Barret is pretty good shooter with good size. Doncic is excellent passer and floor manager. I think their overall impact is pretty closed.

[juanc]

How's Doncic compare to Barret who's projected to be the sure no.1 pick. Barret has beaten the USA U21 team on his own not long ago. But he's not doing it as an explosive athlete like LBJ does. I think he's similar rating to Doncic. Barret is pretty good shooter with good size. Doncic is excellent passer and floor manager. I think their overall impact is pretty closed.

I would say that the only thing where RJ is better than Luka is athleticism. Luka is a way better shotter and passer(playmaker)

[J_T]

Well considering that Barret is better than Zion and Zion is better than LeBron... Let's just say that some people believe that this draft will have 2 or 3 GOAT candidates. And they are going to fight it over among themselves, it's already clear they will be better than Jordan or LeBron.

[UcanUwill]

How's Doncic compare to Barret who's projected to be the sure no.1 pick. Barret has beaten the USA U21 team on his own not long ago. But he's not doing it as an explosive athlete like LBJ does. I think he's similar rating to Doncic. Barret is pretty good shooter with good size. Doncic is excellent passer and floor manager. I think their overall impact is pretty closed.

Barrett more explosive, worse shooter. I like Barrett better, but I really like Barrett, hes my fav. Both have similar game, that Manu Ginobili like smarts, I just like Barrett ability to go pass defenders, draw fouls and just score better.

[J_T]

Stage 1: Nobody talks about Luka Doncic
Stage 2: People talk about Luka Doncic
Stage 3: There's a massive hype around Luka Doncic
Stage 4: Everyone talks about massive hype around Luka Doncic

Future Stage 5: Everyone talks about everyone talking about massive hype around Luka Doncic

[Archx]

How's Doncic compare to Barret who's projected to be the sure no.1 pick. Barret has beaten the USA U21 team on his own not long ago. But he's not doing it as an explosive athlete like LBJ does. I think he's similar rating to Doncic. Barret is pretty good shooter with good size. Doncic is excellent passer and floor manager. I think their overall impact is pretty closed.

Again some nonsense comparisons of college kids with Luka's pro seasons. We said it many times, even the so called paid experts on ESPN etc, that you simply can't compare Luka to anyone from either HS or college. He is simply miles ahead of them. And i did see Barret play couple of times, i still don't have a clue why people think that he will be special. Zion on the other hand, if he continues to improve, he could be the next Barkley.

[wolfram]

That was nasty. This is how you shut down the hype. It's going to be a learning curve for Luka on defense. Probably years before he is not a liability.

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