All Things Luka Doncic

[JPF]

If 6 months ago someone would predict such performances from Luka, I'd ask him to stop the hype.

[XTraderXL]

Looks like his shot is getting more consistent. I think its mostly because his confidence is higher, he looks too comfortable. Most likely round MVP again.

[narcolepsy]

Looks like his shot is getting more consistent. I think its mostly because his confidence is higher, he looks too comfortable. Most likely round MVP again.

He also doesnt take as many bad shots as he did in first few games of the season. Only one three today from the parking lot, but it also shows that he's confident that he can hit them. I think theres a good possibility he'll have Curry range.

[narcolepsy]

If 6 months ago someone would predict such performances from Luka, I'd ask him to stop the hype.

Yeah he was amazing last season already, but what he's doing right now seems surreal.

[SportsGuy8]

It actually looked like he was having a "meh" game, yet he put up another sick stat-line. Only the great ones are capable of that.

It's evident that he's getting extremely confident, helping his consistency tremendously.

P.s.: He did get like 8 points, a couple assists and rebounds in garbage time, though, but let's not hold that against him.

[juanc]

Luka has scored 24 in the 2nd half, 14 in the 3rd quater... I don't remember the last time something like that happened in euroleague... I think he would already be a starter in half of the NBA teams with the game he is playing right now..

[JamesConway]

Watch on YouTube

[Mirotic12]

His floor is Evan Turner.

Doncic is far better than Evan Turner is. Right now, he is much better. His floor can't be a player he's already way better than. Turner is probably more athletic....that's it. Doncic is clearly way better at everything else.

I really like Luka but for everybody that is gonna come and sing his praises, and deservedly so as he has been tremendous and is on a tear now, he is just unfair here, he is about 235 with the skills of a Guard, and has played other than CSKA no team that has a real wing that can stick with him, the small guys that can bother his dribble, are gonna get smothered by his physicality, and bigger guys in Europe aren't used to defend PnR, there are not real playmaking wing players in Europe, they leave early.

Just take the production within the context.

EuroLeague teams don't have a defensive plan on him yet. Same exact thing last year. At first the teams didn't guard him, then they started to.

Now this season, the teams put very little defensive pressure on him, like he's just a random rotation player.

In a while, teams will start changing defensive tactics on him. It will be interesting though to see if he ever gets consistent hard traps and also doubles - if teams would start defending him like they do Spanoulis for example.

For now, he gets treated as any player on defense. But eventually, this season, other teams will at least start putting an emphasis on him, maybe at least how Llull used to be defended.

Teams won't keep going into games with the mind set of he's just 18, so don't focus on him with the game plan.

Heard this about Mario Hezonja, who is a bigger, quicker and stronger Euro. Can't waste your lottery picks on longshots like this who haven't proven themselves against similar NBA talent growing up. Any team that thinks they're playoff bound with him running the show are gonna be sad when he can't stay in front of anyone on D or beat anyone off the dribble.

Mario Hezonja was like Barca's 11th man the year before he came to the NBA.........frankly, he's probably been better in the NBA than he was with Barca. Comparing him to Doncic in EuroLeague, is like comparing Nick Stauskas to James Harden in NBA.

Was 2015, his draft was not so long ago, and the hype was huge., only to get wrekt in the NBA and stories of his poor work ethic surfaced. The young Bulls forward is looking good though, but he's 7ft. Imo the wings from Euro just don't have it i'm sorry, far and few between. EDIT; i guess i didn't think of Giannis, but he isn't white and an overhyped 6'6-6'8 PG lol. When these guys hit the league fro Europe they're not playing point guard. Other than Dirk, Tony Parker and the Gasol's i can't think of other players that have been real contenders.

Doncic played small forward with Slovenia NT, and mainly plays small forward with Real Madrid. So what difference does him playing small forward in NBA make?

I always hear bout these legends like Dragon b3nder and Mario and all these guys and there garbage

Bender was Maccabi's 13th to 14th man. He was actually the basic definition of a scrub in EuroLeague. Doncic is one of the best players in EuroLeague....are we really taking the EuroLeague player stereotypes to such an extreme now that 13/14 man type players are compared with top 3 players in Europe?

Nope.

Reminds me of all the Rubio hype. I'm aware Doncic is a better prospect than Rubio but the comparisons remain. People get far too carried away with what these guys do in competitions against players with inferior athletic ability to Americans. I think he'll be a good player but there's no way I'm taking him over one of the American prospects with better athletic ability.

What Rubio hype? You mean draftexpress.com that had clearly never seen him play? They compared Rubio (one of the worst shooters ever for a guard) to Steve Nash, 100% proof they never actually saw Rubio play.

Or the hype in USA sports media that came from YouTube videos, of Rubio making fancy passes, mostly in youth competitions? The hype of which was the absolute definition of all flash and no substance.

Reality ---> Rubio was averaging like 6 points and 3 assists in Europe, with horrific shooting percentages, and he was pretty much the 10-11 best player on his own team, Barca. He could handle the ball, he could pass, and he could defend. That was it. He was a pure 100% role player on Barca. He was miles and miles from being the leader of that big EuroLeague team, which was at that time, Juan Carlos Navarro.

Doncic is more in the Juan Carlos Navarro aspect on his team. Rubio on Barca, to make that comparison to Doncic's team, is something like Jeff Taylor on Doncic's team.

What are we trying to even debate here? Comparing Doncic and Rubio in EuroLeague...it's almost something like saying Patrick Beverley (Rubio) is the same as LeBron (Doncic). I mean, let's just pick any random scrub that played in EuroLeague in the last 15 years, and say they are the same as Doncic.

[reanimator]

Watch on YouTube

His people must read this thread because he is going more and more into the post just like I said he should for a while now

I like that he is hunting his shot more and getting to his pull up.

He is a good open court athlete and will be a terror in transition in the NBA.

Still think he looks like he'll be a subpar finisher when it comes to NBA athletes.

[Mirotic12]

IQ wise, sure. He's playing against better competition. I don't think anyone is doubting the kids IQ. I think athleticism wise, Euro basketball is a major step down from NCAA. That's where he has the biggest question mark. Can he produce at a high level when he's not as athletic or strong as these other players in the NBA? That's usually the reason why Euro players fail in the NBA with the exception of a few.

EuroLeague athleticism level is higher than NCAA Division I. The average USA DI college player couldn't even play in the rotation of a good European national domestic 2nd division.

There was a study a few years back, which showed that less than 1% of American NCAA Division I college basketball players will ever step on an NBA or EuroLeague floor in an official game.

Never mind that the biggest DI college teams are smaller than any team in EuroLeague.

This athleticism discussion...Joe Ingles, for example, was nothing more than average (at best) athlete for EuroLeague.

As for GOAT Euro prospect, as great as Doncic is, the GOAT euro prospect -- that's Sabonis.

Considering the eras, more Like Janis Krumins. If he came to NBA in the 50s/60s, he would have been totally dominant.

[kayath]

Cant belive Im saying this I agree on most Mirotic12 points

[Mirotic12]

Doncic reminds me so much of another little boy playing in Italy 20 years ago...
always with the smile on his lips, never angry with his teammates, serious, humble and with an extraordinary agonistic rage

I wish him the same career

Watch on YouTube

Young Manu = way more athletic than Doncic

Young Doncic = way better all around player than young Manu

I don't see the comparison.

[SportsGuy8]

Who else saw/anticipated the Spanoulis mention from a mile away?

I saw it at "don't have a defensive plan on him yet". I'm disappointed in myself for not seeing it at "Mirotic12".

Cant belive Im saying this I agree on most Mirotic12 points

Yeah.

He's a bit too harsh on Rubio, though.

[SportsGuy8]

Watch on YouTube

His people must read this thread because he is going more and more into the post just like I said he should for a while now

I like that he is hunting his shot more and getting to his pull up.

He is a good open court athlete and will be a terror in transition in the NBA.

Still think he looks like he'll be a subpar finisher when it comes to NBA athletes.

Maybe he even reads it himself ...

Živijo Luka!



It's easy to figure out, though, so I'm sure they didn't need us. I've been saying for like 2 years now that he should play like Andre Miller and just bully opponents from post-ups. He's really starting to look like a 4 inches taller Andre Miller who can actually shoot.

With all the switching going on in today's NBA, it really needs to become his "bread and butter".

[mcmurphy]

Doncic reminds me so much of another little boy playing in Italy 20 years ago...
always with the smile on his lips, never angry with his teammates, serious, humble and with an extraordinary agonistic rage

I wish him the same career

Watch on YouTube

Young Manu = way more athletic than Doncic

Young Doncic = way better all around player than young Manu

I don't see the comparison.

I thought I had made myself clear

[Mirotic12]

I thought I had made myself clear

Sorry.

He's a bit too harsh on Rubio, though.

Not really...whenever Barca played an important game, in the key minutes, 95% of the time, he was benched for Jaka Lakovic (even at times for Victor Sada). He was very good at handling the ball, not getting turnovers, getting steals, pressing the other team's ball handler up the floor, and at passing in the open court...

He was also pretty good at rebounding, and creation in screen roll.

However, he was pretty much horrific in other aspects of the game. His team played 4 on 5 on half court offense whenever he was on the court, with the defense always sagging 3 to 4 meters off him, and simply daring him to do something with the ball in his hands, with the defense playing him as a passer (daring him blatantly to shoot wide open jumpers all game long), which he very rarely did.

Rubio's level in EuroLeague was hugely exaggerated in the USA, for whatever reasons.

[reanimator]

Watch on YouTube

His people must read this thread because he is going more and more into the post just like I said he should for a while now

I like that he is hunting his shot more and getting to his pull up.

He is a good open court athlete and will be a terror in transition in the NBA.

Still think he looks like he'll be a subpar finisher when it comes to NBA athletes.

Maybe he even reads it himself ...

Živijo Luka!



It's easy to figure out, though, so I'm sure they didn't need us. I've been saying for like 2 years now that he should play like Andre Miller and just bully opponents from post-ups. He's really starting to look like a 4 inches taller Andre Miller who can actually shoot.

With all the switching going on in today's NBA, it really needs to become his "bread and butter".

I definitely see some Andre Miller...

Funny enough, my friend compares D'Angelo Russell to Andre Miller and I kind of started to see Doncic as a bigger Russell as opposed to Lonzo, Hayward, or any of the other names thrown around in here.

[CptCrunch]

Watch on YouTube

Excuse me at 41 seconds?

Another highlight:

Watch on YouTube

Tbh, watching him reminds me of James Harden. They share a similar style of PG play.

[SportsGuy8]

Sorry.

Not really...whenever Barca played an important game, in the key minutes, 95% of the time, he was benched for Jaka Lakovic (even at times for Victor Sada). He was very good at handling the ball, not getting turnovers, getting steals, pressing the other team's ball handler up the floor, and at passing in the open court...

He was also pretty good at rebounding, and creation in screen roll.

However, he was pretty much horrific in other aspects of the game. His team played 4 on 5 on offense whenever he was on the court, with the defense always sagging 3 to 4 meters off him, and simply daring him to do something with the ball in his hands, with the defense playing him as a passer (daring him blatantly to shoot wide open jumpers all game long), which he very rarely did.

Rubio's level in EuroLeague was hugely exaggerated in the USA, for whatever reasons.

Yes, I agree with all of this, but I still think you're a bit too harsh on him. Quite often his role at Barca was to simply go stay in the corner and do his work on the defensive end. He rarely saw the chance to do his thing as a PG.

[reanimator]

Harden is a better athlete in terms of strength, verticality, body control and change of direction. Also has a better handle.

Russell got the Harden comps too til folks realized the gulf in physical/athletic profiles.