The SPOX preview looks at the talents of the draft (1 o’clock live on DAZN). After the wing players, the Guards continue, who are much narrower than last Draft, but headed by a prodigy: Luka Doncic.
Position: Guard, Forward / Club: Real Madrid
Age: 19.3 / Height: 1.98 meters / Wingspan: unknown / Weight: 99 kilos
Ideally a guy like: Manu Ginobili, James Harden
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Wunderkind – A term that is usually mentioned in the same breath as Luka Doncic. The reasons are easy to list: 19 years old, Euroleague winner, Euroleague MVP, European champion. Can you do any more? Yes, the best league in the world awaits the Slovenian.
And not only with open arms. Europeans continue to have a difficult situation. Andrea Bargnani, Darko Milicic or Nikoloz Tshikitishvili were, among other things, flopped euro imports and did not exactly advertise, even though Kristaps Porzingis, for example, gave a counter-example in the recent past. Doncic now wants to take a similar path.
Unlike Porzingis, the Slovenian was already an established player in the ACB and Euroleague – at just 19. While his draft colleagues were still playing against teenagers, he proved his class against seasoned men in the world’s second-best league.
Especially his offensive arsenal is well developed for his age. Porzingis also felt the effects of this at the Eurobasket 2017. Shortly after a cheeky lay-up against the Latvian, Doncic again isolated against the unicorn. Drive faked, two steps back behind the triple line, pulls it up – Bang! It also benefits from its clean throwing form in spot-up situations. At the European Championships he was also clearly behind the triple line, so the switch to the NBA triple shouldn’t take forever.
In his midrange game, Doncic uses braking as skilfully as James Harden, creating plenty of room for floaters and jumpers. With the move to the basket he can fall back on various tricks, his ball handling improved enormously in the past season. His opponent rarely succeeds in stopping him without a foul: Doncic was on the line 8.3 times last season on 40 minutes.
In addition to his scoring skills, Doncic is also an excellent conductor. He analyses the game, already sees two steps before what happens and often finds the free man. This becomes particularly visible in pick-and-roll situations when Doncic is acting as a ball handler. Thus, his first step, which is quick on average, is of little importance. Doncic dissects the opponent’s defences and stages either the rolling Big Man or a free shooter on the Weakside.
Nevertheless, there are understandable doubts about Doncic’s NBA suitability. Apart from his low threesome and sometimes questionable choice of litters, there is a question mark behind his defense. In the best league in the world, he could have serious problems with fast guards. In post-defense he often gives up rooms too easily and lets his opponents score easily. In addition, it rarely runs hard closeouts. One plus point is certainly his strong rebounding, he boxes well and grabs many boards compared to other guards.
However, the defensive and physical deficits can be worked on. However, most players never learn the feeling Doncic already has at any point in their career. Despite the question marks, this makes him a fascinating talent that should not under any circumstances fall out of the top 3.
Forecast: Top 3 Pick
Possible teams: Suns, Kings, Hawks
Page 1: Luka Doncic (Real Madrid)
Page 2: Trae Young (Oklahoma)
Page 3: Collin Sexton (Alabama)
Page 4: Lonnie Walker IV (Miami)
Page 5: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Kentucky)
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