Dirk Nowitzki has been working with rookie Luka Doncic in training in Dallas for about a week. On Tuesday he spoke at the Ben and Skin Show about the prodigy from Slovenia.
Nowitzki kept fit in Dallas throughout the summer and worked on his rehabilitation after the ankle operation at the end of last season. For a week now, Doncic has also been part of the team, who was brought to position 3 (by trade from Atlanta) by Dallas in the draft and previously played for Real Madrid. Nowitzki raved about the reigning EuroLeague MVP.
“I like what I see very much. He is incredibly good with the ball for a big player, masters the pick’n’roll and his court vision is unbelievable. I can’t believe he’s only 19 years old. If he has time, he’s also a good shooter and I think we’ll have a lot of fun with him for a long time,” Nowitzki said.
Meanwhile, the 40-year-old hopes that he can support Doncic and that he can make the transition to the USA somewhat easier than Nowitzki himself 20 years ago. “I’ve been through this, too. You have to get used to a lot of things. It took me a whole year and that was really hard. We will do everything we can so that the boy can develop and have fun,” says Nowitzki. “Of course, we don’t want to put too much pressure on him either.”
I could throw a little, but I never had such a court vision,” said the 2007 MVP when asked if Doncic was better than him at 19, “The understanding of the game he has, the way he can already read Pick’n’Rolls… these things Chris Paul and Co. do. “It’ll be fun watching him, especially with big boys like DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Powell as rim runners.”
Nowitzki, who himself is considered the best European in NBA history, has high hopes for Doncic: “He is an incredible talent. His court vision and passing game at this age and size is something I have never seen in 20 years”, Nowitzki was astonished.