The Most Intriguing European Prospect Ever Is Staying In The NBA Draft, Let's Get To Know Luka Doncic

Yesterday was an important day for the NBA Draft. It was the deadline for international players to decide whether or not they are staying int he NBA Draft or pulling their name out. The biggest name from an international standpoint decided to stay in the NBA Draft. That name?

Luke Doncic.

So let’s get to know more about his game, what NBA teams will be getting and his background. Doncic, is no stranger to those who follow the NBA Draft or international basketball. He’s been a star in EuroLeague for the last couple of years and was a key player on the Slovenian team that won EuroBasket last year. Shit, take a look at the awards he’s won in just the last two years and you’ll see MVP of EuroLeague, Rising Star x2 of EuroLeague, EuroLeague Final Four MVP, EuroLeague champion, All-EuroBasket Team, EuroBasket Champion and ACB Young Player of the Year.

First off, he’s not your traditional European prospect. He’s 19 years old and isn’t really a project as you typically hear most international guys are. You know the player you’re getting in Doncic when he comes over to the NBA. He became the youngest player to ever step on the court for Real Madrid when he did so at 16 years old. Right off the bat, that’s an impressive thing to see, especially when you look at Real Madrid’s roster. This isn’t a list of no-names, these are some of the best players in Europe – a good handful of which played in the NBA. Doncic already has the size to compete in the NBA as he’s 6’7? with a solid frame.

Now, what I mean in the sense of you know what you’re getting with him coming to the NBA is the fact that he’s already excellent in the high ball screen. He reads the ball screen extremely well and that’s where he’s a playmaker, something that he’s probably known best as. He’s played with NBA-type big men at Real Madrid in Anthony Randolph and Gustavo Ayon. In the pick and roll is where you see him use his size to create space and/or get to the rim. He’s also an incredibly skilled passer out of this set. He does an excellent job with his footwork to come off the screen and then plant and find either the roll or a wing after help dives in.

Perhaps Doncic’s most impressive performance came last year at EuroBasket against Latvia and Kristaps Porzingis. Kristaps was arguably the biggest name and best player in EuroBasket and with the game winding down, Slovenia put Doncic in high ball screens to get a 1v1 matchup vs KP.

Just like every other prospect though there are concerns when it comes to Doncic. To me they include a couple of things that stick out right away. First, can he improve the quickness of his release? At times he takes an extra gather step during his step back and it costs him a half second. When he comes off screens horizontally into his shot he will occasionally take the extra rhythm dribble. These are all things that NBA defenders can recover at a quicker rate than EuroLeague guys can. Along with that, Doncic is a bit inconsistent shooting from the outside. Don’t get me wrong, he has great form and there’s not a hitch or anything like that in his shot. That said he’s shooting just 30% in ACB and shot 32% in EuroLeague. Those numbers need to improve. Part of the weakness with the shooting is creating separation off the bounce. He doesn’t have the quickest step to create that separation off the bounce – something that is key in the modern day NBA. However, that is something he can improve as many think he hasn’t hit his athletic ceiling yet.

The other major concern I have about his game is if he can cut down turnovers. At times he gets careless or tries to improvise a bit too much to make the flashy pass, leading to a turnover. Doncic is an incredibly smart player and can get away with that sort of stuff in EuroLeague and ACB play. At the NBA level, I expect that to continue to be cut down – as he did cut down his turnover rate this past season.

Overall, it seems tough to have a reasonable take on Doncic. People tend to yell one way or another about ‘another European bust’ or the other end being ‘he’s already doing this in EuroLeague, he’s the safest bet on the board.’ To me he’s somewhere in between, leaning on the side of a safe pick. He’s in that first tier of guys for me, sitting at No. 4 on my big board. Memphis would be the ideal fit for him in terms of what’s on the floor already as he’d get to play next to Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, filling that wing need they are desperate for. Sacramento would be an intriguing spot because you have a guy in Fox that’s excellent at driving and kicking and would fit in on the other wing opposite of Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Either way, Doncic is the most intriguing European prospect we’ve seen.