At the end of his career, everyone will wonder why Luka Doncic was not the first choice of the 2018 Draft… The reason is quite simple, many sont those who did not believe in his ability to adapt to the NBA game. A multiple All-Star falls into that category, and he’s admitted it very openly.
Over time, the NBA has grown into an increasingly global league… You only have to look at the All-Star Game selections in recent seasons to see how outsiders dominate. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a double MVP and double captain for the all-star game, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons…
Despite the growing dominance of non-American players, some stereotypes persist. It is therefore not uncommon to see young European or African talents looked down on by some scouts as the draft approaches… Despite the many counter-examples, no one is as well regarded as a player who did his proofs in NCAA.
This is largely the reason why Luka Doncic was not called up first in the 2018 Draft. Despite his incredible record in the Euroleague, some observers did not see him as having the qualities necessary to win in the NBA. Gilbert Arenas was part of this group, and several years later, he admitted his mistake at the microphone of Whistle Sports.
I fell in love with Luka Doncic… I watched him during the pre-draft process, and I thought he was too slow, that he wouldn’t be able to shoot over defenders in the NBA. Then I watched only one of his matches, and I realized that I was greatly wrong on this one.
The Europeans are all talented, they can adapt to the NBA game. But Luka is still different. He is immense, leader, he shoots, he understands all the basics of the game. He has the qualities to shine in any position. You just have to give him the ball and let him do it. Wherever he is on the pitch, his dominance is visible.
May Agent 0 be reassured, he is not the only one to have made a mistake about Luka Doncic… The Suns and Kings scouts also had big enough doubts about him not to select him with the first two choice. For a “slow” player, the Slovenian prodigy is doing quite well with 27.4 points, 9.7 assists, and 9.4 rebounds on average this season.
Luka Doncic is perhaps the player who will forever change the perception foreigners in the NBA. Often stigmatized for their lack of athleticism, non-American youth could be valued for far greater talents on the court.
